NIOO-director Louise Vet has received the British Ecological Society's highest honour at an ecologists' meeting in Belgium. According to the BES, the work of the winners has benefited not just the scientific community but society in general. "It's something which has been increasingly important to me in my career", says Vet.

When plans were drafted in 2006 to merge two of NIOO's locations into a new building in Wageningen, Louise Vet decided this was her chance.

Even before she took the helm as director, Vet had been impressed with the width of the research conducted at NIOO: from marine and freshwater to terrestrial ecology, and from the highest organisational level to the very lowest.

"It gives you a humbling sense of the responsibility you have as an ecologist in this vast arena of how we treat our planet."

Simple lessons

The new development presented her with an opportunity to act on that responsibility, by applying three simple lessons: closing cycles, using solar energy and stimulating biodiversity. "I just took ecology and made it very simple!"

She was invited to talk about "that crazy building", and holding up the economy of nature as an example to our own economy, at the first Dutch TEDx event in 2009. More invitations followed, taking Vet far beyond the realm of ecology.

"It occurred to me that there was this other life, besides my research - which I always loved dearly and still do - and my tasks as a director, which involved going out there and taking to the stage. So ever since 2006, that's been an important thread in my career."

Something crazy

Consequently, the theme of the ecologists' meeting in Ghent - Ecology Across Borders - is one that's dear to Vet's heart. "It really is possible to inspire people who know nothing about ecology, by showing them how nature works and how that can be applied to their own lives."

But this requires a rather different approach. "We as ecologists have a tendency to resort to finger-wagging, and to say: we know what's important and you're doing it all wrong. Well guess what? That doesn't work!"

What does work is showing people solutions instead of lingering over the problems. "You have to get them excited, and I think that's something I can do if I may be so immodest: get people to go along with something crazy, with a completely different way of doing things but knowing that we're all in it together."

Restoring biodiversity

A perfect example is the Deltaplan Biodiversiteitsherstel ('Master Plan for Recovering Biodiversity'), which is due for completion by next summer. The initiative for this ambitious plan was taken by the Netherlands Ecological Research Network (NERN), with Vet as chair of the board.

The initial momentum came from the data Dutch ecologists have been collecting about an overall loss of biodiversity. A high-profile paper on the dramatic decline of flying insects provided the final trigger. But it's not just convervationists who should be alarmed. "It's everyone...farmers, too", says Vet.

"Loss of biodiversity has to do with how we use the land and produce our food. Restoring biodiversity requires changing the system, and that comprises the entire agri-chain including retailers and banks."

All those parties - including the farmers - signed the initial 'declaration of intent'. The next step was making use of some valuable political contacts to stage a hearing on biodiversity loss in the Dutch Lower House, on 29 November.

Wonderful export

Vet is hoping that the rest of the process will be just as positive. "If we find a way to develop a different agricultural system that highly values biodiversity, I'm sure all the parties in the Dutch ruling coalition will be on board."

Economy and ecology should be linked, she says. "What is the big scientific challenge, and what is the big economic challenge? What is best for the Netherlands as a whole?"

If a type of agriculture that protects and restores biodiversity could indeed be made to flourish in, of all places, the largely urban society that is the Netherlands, that would be "the most wonderful export we could have."

Moving train

Meanwhile, none of this seems to be holding Vet back from remaining active as a researcher. "I must be one of the few administrators who have kept their research going all along, even though I have scaled it back a bit in recent years."

Working with the next generation of young, ambitious scientists gives her a buzz, she says. "I wouldn't want to do without it." And she's happy to rely on her "wonderful" postdocs to drive a number of projects.

"All I have to do is say: girls, get this train moving! It doesn't necessarily have to be my train, but I can make sure it stays on the rails."