Up in the north of the Netherlands, the Weerribben-Wieden National Park, has just been awarded the European Parks certificate for sustainable tourism. It becomes the first national park or reserve in the Netherlands to receive this prestigious recognition.

Despite its 1 million annual visitors, the park boasts a clean record when it comes to environmental impact of that level of tourism. It also works in cooperation with local residents, businesses and nature organizations. The major product of this region was historically its peat, as much of the area is made up of peat bogs. However unlike other bogs where too much peat was removed the Weerribben-Wieden Park was left in tact.

Here's a video produced by the Volkskrant which provides you with images and explanations (in Dutch) of what makes the park so special.