Symposium: The Meuse’s Living History
In response to the success of the Biography-of-the-Meuse meeting in January 2019, Dr. Nico Randeraad and Dr. Christian Ernsten organised on 4 and 5 October 2019 a 2nd Biography of the Meuse meeting at the Historical Centre Limburg. During this meeting, researchers, designers and representatives of societal organisations responded to the question: “How can we mobilize the Meuse’s living history to ensure a sustainable river system that increases the well-being of humans and non-humans?”
Together with a consortium with researchers and designers from Wageningen Universiteit, Universiteit Utrecht, Leiden Universiteit, the Design Academy Eindhoven and the Architecture Academy in Amsterdam, as well as representatives from, amongst others, Waterschap Limburg, the Province of Limburg, Ark Nature, Staatsbosbeheer, Jan van Eyk Academy, Limburgs Museum and RIWA-Meuse, Randeraad and Ernsten worked to further develop a funding application for the Dutch Science Agenda (NWA). The meeting, which was realised with funding from MACCH and the NWA, focused on the following themes:
- Live: what have been the key transformations in human-nature eco-systems of the Meuse since the deep past, and how do they compare to transformations today?
- Save: how have swings in high and low water occurrence affected human-nature relations? Which life forms have survived; which require special attention?
- Use: how has the Meuse enabled cultural and natural environments to flourish? Which economic interests have been served and how sustainable are new choices?
- Steer: how can we imagine and design the Meuse as a river of well-being? Which criteria of cohabitation are worth elaborating?
The consortium intends to apply for funding in June 2020.