Present use of the Dutch sandy-soil landscape is not sustainable and not climate proof. Hence there is an urgent and widely supported need for a socio-environmental transformation. We propose that in future landscape systems, functions at each location should align with local soil suitability and water availabililty. This requires a paradigm shift from the present system, where landscapes are modified through e.g. water management and fertilization to serve desired functions. With our research team and consortium of experts and actors, we will design nature-based landscapes that are climate-resilient and valuable and we will identify pathways towards these desired landscapes.

In the 1990s, the Netherlands experienced a peak in divorces. Now, 30 years later, divorced parents have often found new partners, and their adult children have established their own families. As a result, families can now consist of four biological grandparents and additional step-grandparents, potentially resulting in "eight-grandparent families". By utilizing registers that document the kinship networks of the Dutch population, it is examined to what extent having step-grandparents can be a benefit or a burden for the younger generations. Additionally, new data is collected about step-grandparent relationships to understand under what conditions relationships with step-grandparents can thrive.