If we want to learn more about one of the animals, then we must learn to view the world through the eyes of animals. But how do you do that as a human, in times when we seem to be increasingly distant from 'nature'? Should we start living 'like an animal' ourselves, or are there also other - less radical - ways to adopt the perspective of the animal? According to Jet Bakels, various forms of intangible heritage can bring us closer to nature. In a chapter of 'Stories of Nature', Bakels describes how beekeeping, bear festivals in France, and 'wilsterflappen' in Friesland can ultimately bring us closer to nature.
'Stories of Nature' is a beautifully published book, with twenty stories about the history, present, and future of nature, brought together by Hans Mulder, with illustrations from the natural history collections of the University of Amsterdam, particularly those of ARTIS. Jet Bakels' chapter can be read in the document attached to this page.
