On 6 June 2014, the Anders Wall Prize for outstanding contributions to the European countryside was awarded to Christophe Lenaerts of the Heihuyzen Estate in Belgium. The prize, a cheque for €15,000, was presented to Mr Lenaerts during the General Meeting of the Friends of the Countryside in Castello di Udine, Italy. This prize has been awarded for over 10 years by the European Landowners’ Organization and the Swedish Anders Wall Foundation, in collaboration with the Friends of the Countryside (FCS), the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture in Stockholm, and more recently, DG Environment of the European Commission. The prize recognises efforts to benefit the European countryside through landscape conservation, biodiversity enhancement, cultural heritage preservation, and contributions to the rural economy. This year’s winner, Christophe Lenaerts, inherited his 400-hectare Belgian estate from his father in 2007. Drawing on his background as an IT entrepreneur, he transformed the severely damaged forest into an actively managed, profitable and sustainable estate in less than five years. The forestry now practised at Heihuyzen is the result of close engagement with local stakeholders, administrators and legislators in Flanders. Today, the Estate supports a wide range of activities, including education, hunting and sports, scouting, and many others. Christophe’s vision for the future is reflected in his determination to share his experiences, knowledge and economic model with the next generation of stakeholders and land managers. He aims to establish the Heihuyzen Estate as a leading example in Belgium and beyond. To help achieve this, he recently became Secretary-General of the Landelijk Vlaanderen association and Vice-President of the Royal Belgian Forestry Society. The winner was “delighted” and “filled with pride” to receive the prize, together with words of encouragement from Pia Bucella, Director of Natural Capital at DG Environment of the European Commission.
