Counting on Nature

Images and stories about people who measure nature 

Between 2019 and 2024, photographers Hans van der Meer en Bas Vroege visited sixty measurement and monitoring projects across the Netherlands. The result is De Metende Mens (Counting on Nature): a remarkable collection of images and stories about people who, in their own unique way, explore nature. The collection captures how men measure nature, and the importance of this.  

This art project is displayed on a website and will be translated in a book. Hans and Bas are now working on the art exhibition in a museum.  

The project ranges from measuring nitrogen deposition in the soil to tracking the decline of animal species such as the pine marten, eel, and spadefoot toad. Sometimes this is done with advanced measuring equipment, sometimes with simple counts. But always with the same motivation: understanding and protecting our vulnerable ecosystems. 

The Netherlands measures like no other 

No other country in the world collects as much environmental data per square kilometer as the Netherlands. The condition of air, water, and soil is mapped on a large scale—by professionals and thousands of volunteers. This constant stream of data tells not only the story of nature, but also that of the people who work day in, day out to understand it. 

A mirror for our relationship with nature 

In essence, Counting on Nature is about more than just measuring. The project poses the question: Will collecting data and scientific evidence ultimately lead us to a time when we no longer stand above, but alongside nature? Through the lens of Hans van der Meer, it becomes clear that measuring can also be perceived as meeting—and that every measurement tells a piece of our own story. 

More information

De Metende Mens