Farmland still makes up more than half the Netherlands

[Albion]

Some 55% of land in the Netherlands is used for agriculture, according to new research from the national statistics office CBS.

Despite the impression that the Netherlands is very built-up, only 8% of the country is occupied by buildings. Some 12% is woodland and 20% water. The rest is semi-build, roads and railways and recreational land, the CBS says.

The 5,300 hectare increase in the built-up area between 2006 and 2008 was at the expense of farmland, the CBS says.

Source...

[Albion]

Now all we need to do is make the farmland good for wildlife again. Many people bemoan farmland, but farmland managed in traditional ways and not spoiled by chemicals is by far a hugely important wildlife habitat and probably supports more wildlife than the woodlands which would occur naturally.

Southern and Central England has a similar problem, over population. "Farmed habitats" managed in a traditional way are the best way of ensuring humans and animals can co-exist.
In England the farmland was traditionally very good for wildlife, we can thank scientists and their chemicals for ruining much of this.

[The Lawspeaker]

I hope it stays that way. Wilders' party as well as the VVD seem to have ideas about building in the Groene Hart though.

[Albion]

I hope it stays that way. Wilders' party as well as the VVD seem to have ideas about building in the Groene Hart though.

Maybe it's not my place to say, but building in the green heart would save a lot of other areas of the country, confining the majority of the population and urban sprawl to the southern corner.

It's a bit like that in England, we're one of the most densely populated countries in Europe but most of the population lives in a string of towns and cities from London, through Birmingham and to Liverpool and Manchester.
The population in England is largely confined to these towns and cities going from SE to NW which means that places like the SW, East Anglia and the North are largely less populated.
The English are dwellers of Southern and Midland towns and suburbs, I think Flanders, NW Germany and Southern Netherlands is a similar sort of area.

I read something before from a Dutch organisation planning for what happens when this area becomes a mega city.
If that were to happen I'd be curious to see how identities would remain in such an interconnected region.

[The Lawspeaker]

Absolutely out of the question. It should be a sign that the country is overpopulated as it is.

[Albion]

Absolutely out of the question. It should be a sign that the country is overpopulated as it is.

Well yeah, but what can you do?

I think a population of 8 million would be better but governments never like letting populations fall, they import immigrants to fill the gap.
The population needs to be allowed to age, the economy will shrink of course and it'd be tough for many decades but eventually it would stabilise at a smaller size.

That should be done in England too. Getting rid of the immigrants would also help solve the problem.
Governments always seem to worry about ageing populations.

[The Lawspeaker]

Well yeah, but what can you do?

I think a population of 8 million would be better but governments never like letting populations fall, they import immigrants to fill the gap.
The population needs to be allowed to age, the economy will shrink of course and it'd be tough for many decades but eventually it would stabilise at a smaller size.

That should be done in England too. Getting rid of the immigrants would also help solve the problem.
Governments always seem to worry about ageing populations.

Getting rid of the immigrants would only relieve some of the pressure. We would still have close to 13.5 million people (if we would kick out every single immigrant -- even Europeans -- without kicking out the Europeans we would have some 14.5 million people).

Luckily when the baby boomer generation is going to die could we fall back to 10/11 million so even then would we be hopelessly overpopulated.