Het Wilde Noorden

Het Wilde Noorden

Between the paving stones of the Vogelbuurt neighborhood and along the A10, all sorts of things bloom and grow. Snorkeling and canoeing, we see Hawks, Eels and Yellow-cheeked Turtles. In the Fly Forest you realize among the glowworms that North still has the darkest nights. With work by Kristian de la Riva, Jaap Scheeren, Joost Janmaat, Thijs de Zeeuw and Pim Leenen. The Wild North is an ode to nature in Amsterdam North. Two years of expeditions from Tolhuistuin resulted in the city nature guide by Joost Janmaat and Reem Saouma.

The city nature guide is for sale in the Tolhuistuin shop and via this link.

Urban nature guide | Joost Janmaat & Reem Saudi

Het Wilde Noorden is an urban nature guide for Amsterdam-Noord. A colorful book with routes on land, at sea and in the air, and interviews and background stories about the wild city nature. Het Wilde Noorden is an ode to Amsterdam-Noord and to the city as a nature reserve.

Go canoeing along the banks of the Oer-IJ, bushcrafting in Tuindorp Oostzaan, on a bicycle snorkeling expedition to the Noorder IJplas or field trip along the slope of the A10; the longest nature reserve in the city. Discover that Amsterdam-Noord is a nature reserve where people also live, a habitat with billions of little creatures that grow, crawl, fly and flourish and with whom we humans together make up the city.

Wild North is the result of “Expedition Green,” the Tolhuistuin program to urban nature. The book is a record of the journey to all the urban jungles, but also a tribute to Amsterdam-Noord and all the human residents who selflessly work to preserve and expand this natural area.

The guide is a beautifully designed book packed with photos, maps and illustrations. With a foreword by biologist Freek Vonk and contributions by, among others, city poet Marjolijn van Heemstra, illustrator Jan Rothuizen, explorer Arita Baaijens and biologist Remco Daalder. The guide was created by Joost Janmaat and Reem Saouma.

About Joost Janmaat

Joost Janmaat is a historian and ecologist, and great lover of urban nature. “Urban nature is hybrid nature in optima forma. There is no place left on this planet that has not been touched by humans; culture and nature have merged everywhere. And the pinnacle of that is the city: a man-made, man-made, insanely imaginative landscape full of life.” As former chairman of the W.H. Vliegenbos Foundation, co-founder of Groene Longen and forester of Buiksloterham, he is committed to Nature Area North.

About Expeditie Groen

Expedition Green was a journey through Amsterdam North in search of a new relationship between man and nature. An urgent theme in the context of the rapid urbanization of Amsterdam-Noord and the increasingly penetrating news about climate disruption and biodiversity loss. With imaginative DIY programs, we worked on world problems from our own backyard. The final event of Expedition Green marked a new beginning. We opened Natuurgebied Noord with a manifesto, wish list and an extensive cultural program. As many as 90 initiatives and organizations endorsed the manifesto. In the coming years we will continue to realize the wish list.