Counting on Nature

Images and stories about people monitoring nature

Between 2019 and 2024, photographer, filmmaker, and writer Hans van der Meer visited sixty measurement and monitoring projects across the Netherlands. The result is De Metende Mens (Counting on Nature): a compelling collection of images and stories about people who explore nature in their own distinctive ways. The project reveals how—and why—humans measure our ecosystems.

The first fifteen projects are currently available online as a website. The remaining forty-five will be released throughout 2026 and in the fall of 2027, culminating in a museum exhibition and the publication of a book.

Produced by Paradox, the project spans a wide range of practices: 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 work relies on advanced scientific instruments; at other times, it consists of simple counts and observations. What unites these efforts is a shared motivation: to better understand and protect our fragile 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 monitored on a vast scale—by professionals as well as thousands of dedicated volunteers. This continuous flow of data tells not only the story of nature, but also that of the people who work tirelessly to understand it.

 A mirror for our relationship with nature  

At its core, Counting on Nature is about more than measurement alone. The project raises a fundamental question: will the accumulation of data and scientific evidence eventually lead us to a future in which we no longer place ourselves above nature, but alongside it? Through Hans van der Meer’s lens, measuring becomes a form of encounter—and each measurement reveals something about nature, and about ourselves. 

More information 

De Metende Mens

Paradox