Ecosystem
The wild animals in the area are part of the ecosystem; no one owns them. This may seem self-evident when applied to birds and fish, but this also applies to large grazers. They are not owned by the Dutch state, nor by Staatsbosbeheer. However, this does not mean the latter – as the site manager - is not responsible for them.
Debate
The manner in which the herds develop was (and continues to be) hard to predict. That is why the rules and guidelines Staatsbosbeheer adheres to when taking on its responsibility are the result of multi-year debate. Political and public debate, particularly after long winters, created the need to reconsider.
ICMO 
Occasioned by the winter die off of large grazers over the 2004-2005 winter, the Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality had Staatsbosbeheer’s management assignment assessed to see whether it was still responsible and, if so, subject to which conditions. To this end, the minster set up the International Committee on the Management of large herbivores in the Oostvaardersplassen (ICMO).
Supplementary feeding
The 2009-2010 winter die off also led to a change in policy. Occasioned by the parliamentary debate on 17 March 2010 it has been decided, against the advice of, for example, the ICMO, to provide supplementary feed to the large grazers. Staatsbosbeheer did not applaud this decision due to the drawbacks supplementary feeding entails. The organisation did however carry out this political decision.
We then tallied how to what extent hay was used and by which animals. This proved that the konik horses and red deer did not or hardly availed themselves of the hay made available to them. The Heck cattle consumed a little hay. Of the Heck cattle that consumed hay, a number of small groups were responsible for the majority of the hay consumption. The animals that visited the feeding stations were more aggressive and – in contrast to the other animals in the area – less likely to move to the lusher parts of the Oostvaardersplassen, where fresh spring grass was sufficiently present.
Evaluation continued
Furthermore, also during the parliamentary debate on 17 March 2010 it was decided to bring the evaluation of the policy concerning the Oostvaardersplassen forward from 2011 to the end of 2010. Perhaps this evaluation in the lower house will occasion the refinement or alternate implementation of the current standards.