Jan-Willem Burgmans

As a child, the outside world was my world: a place full of adventure and friendship.

I made no distinction between a city park, farmland, or forest. Everywhere, I found nature as a companion.

After studying Biology at Wageningen University, I have advocated for the place of nature in our society in various roles. From nature policy, consultancy, and management to my current work, in which I have been fighting for years for a full-fledged place for all living things in the construction industry. This is increasingly less about my substantive knowledge, and more about awareness and appreciation of our dependence on nature. For we are not separate from it — we are nature.

I bring this awareness to organizations through my role as a Speaker for the Living. When our actions are truly connected to nature, it leads to better decisions — for soil, water, plants, and animals, and thereby also for ourselves.

As Speaker for the Living, I bring a different reality to the table: that of ecosystems that have no voice in our consultations, yet bear the daily consequences of our choices. I do not view biodiversity as mere decoration or an afterthought, but as a fellow resident, co-designer, and co-stakeholder of our living environment.

My role is to question what seems self-evident and to create space for a more-than-human perspective in decision-making. Imagination is needed to tip systems, but action is required to make change tangible. That is what a Zoöp does!