Big Deunk
Groot Deunk Estate Foundation, Together for the Partridge
Groot Deunk in Barlo is more than just a nature project. It is a place where the future is being sown, biodiversity is flourishing, and community spirit is taking root.
Groot Deunk has much more to offer than just grass and trees. The foundation that manages the area has worked with volunteers to create an impressive variety of landscape features: a field with ancient grain varieties, flower-filled field margins, nesting boxes for birds, an apiary, and more. All with one goal in mind: to reconnect people with nature and show them how important it is to cherish and preserve it.
Education and engagement
The power of Groot Deunk lies not only in the landscape, but above all in the way it brings people together. "We want to manage and develop nature, but above all we want to interest people in how beautiful nature is," say Herman Simmelink and Frans ter Bogt. "Schools and groups are welcome to learn about biodiversity, old agricultural crops, and the importance of insects and birds in our ecosystem."
A flying start
There is a high level of community involvement. On the first working day after the official launch, a simple call went out: Anyone who can help, come along—and bring your tools. The result? "A procession of tractors, shovels, and cranes drove back and forth, volunteers worked in het veld all day. And at the end of the day: coffee, a beer, and no bill."
Good for the Partridge
People from the 'Samen voor de Patrijs' (Together for the Partridge) project are also actively involved. For more than ten years, a large group of volunteers has been sowing field margins in the area with various types of plants, such as sunflowers, oats, barley, rye, buckwheat, and spelt. These are crops that you hardly see anywhere in the Netherlands anymore. The partridge thrives in these conditions. "The partridge is the figurehead of field nature. Where partridges live, other birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects also thrive."
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