Modern nature conservation in North Brabant province started with the acquisition of the Oisterwijk forests and fens by the society Vereniging Natuurmonumenten in 1913.

[2] While Natuurmonumenten was a very successful organization, it felt that many aspects of nature conservation could more effectively by handled at a provincial level.

Indeed North Brabant had special worries, like the enormous drive to turn the last rough terrains into agricultural land.

[7] An important function of the foundation was that its members (supporters), and those of comparable organizations had (free) access to many protected areas.

During the execution of the commercial cultivation project that led to Landgoed de Utrecht of about 2,500 hectares, the area that is now the Mispeleindse Heide was spared.

[11] In June 1963 Brabants Landschap bought its first big terrain, the estate Ter Braakloop of 50 hectares.

In 1972 Brabants Landschap owned 2,400 hectares, and thought about taking a sharper stance on more general environmental issues like pollution.

Meanwhile, North Brabant failed to protect its landscape, mainly because the political will was lacking in a province dominated by agricultural interests.

Brabants Landschap focuses on the whole landscape, but by acquiring land, it can only protect wild areas like forests, heath, water etc.

Here a landscape with hedges, grassland and sparse trees is home to many common species, but also connects the more wild areas of the province.

In 1985 the land consolidation law was replaced by the Landrinrichtingswet Nevertheless, even with formal environmental representation in the process, the environment continued to suffer.

In the air the ammonia from the manure reacts with pollution like sulfur dioxide, and causes acid precipitation.

[19] In 1983 local forest managers noted that trees became very vulnerable to fungus epidemics, and no longer recovered from caterpillar plagues.

Brabants Landschap noted that local forest were dying and its heath turned yellow instead of purple.

This was good for farmers, which could work the dry land with heavy machines in early Spring.

In 1992 the province severely limited the farmers' use of groundwater in order to safeguard the future supply of drinking water.

[22] The January 1995 high water on the Dutch Rhine, Meuse, and IJssel led to the evacuation of 250,000 people.

In 1990 the Dutch government coined the term Ecologische Hoofdstructuur (EHS), now Natuurnetwerk Nederland (NNN) (Nature Network Netherlands).

These areas would be connected by wildlife corridors, so that species could migrate between these terrains instead of becoming extinct in isolation.

[23] The local Natuurnetwerk Brabant aims to have 129.000 hectares of nature (a quarter of the province) and about 1,500 km of wildlife corridors by 2027.

It appoints the supervisory board, and approves the annual report, the budget and general policy.

[28] The Coördinatiepunt Landschapsbeheer (landscape coordination agency) is a distinct part of Brabants Landschap.

[30] In order to gather support for its mission, it is very important for Brabants Landschap to inform and educate people about nature in the province.

The cause was the insufficient manner in which the government had handled the deposition of nitrogen compounds in Natura 2000 areas.