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Environmental information systems
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The indicator shows the share of designated terrestrial protected areas expressed as a share of the total land area. It includes areas protected by other effective area-based conservation measures. The EU and global targets aim for 30% protection.
Currently, almost 23% of the terrestrial territory of the Netherlands is designated as a protected area (see graph), just under the .
About half of the area comprises sites designated under national laws, while the other half covers those recognised as . With the increase in natural areas since 1990, spatial continuity between natural habitats on land has improved. However, a significant proportion of the designated protected areas are still too small or fragmented to offer space for stable populations. Almost all of the Natura 2000 sites are part of the Nature Network Netherlands (NNN). It originates from the 2013 Nature Pact between the national and provincial governments. The Pact is an important Dutch measure for , and it aims to create a coherent network of natural areas by the end of 2027, including 80 000 ha of new natural areas.
References and footnotes
- ↵Biodiversity Information System for Europe, ‘Netherlands’, Biodiversity Information System for Europe website, 2024, accessed 30 June 2025, https://biodiversity.europa.eu/countries/netherlands.
- ↵Environmental Data Compendium, ‘Aandeel beschermde natuurgebieden in Nederland, 2024’, indicator 1425, version 06, 11 April 2025, accessed 30 June 2025, https://www.clo.nl/indicatoren/nl142506-aandeel-beschermde-natuurgebieden-in-nederland-2024; Statistics Netherlands, The Hague; Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, The Hague; and National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, and Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen.
- ↵House of Representatives of the Netherlands, ‘Natuurpact ontwikkeling en beheer van natuur in Nederland’, Parliamentary Papers 30 825, No 207, The Hague, 2014, accessed 30 June 2025, https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/kst-33576-11.pdf.
- ↵Association of the Provinces of the Netherlands and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature, Tiende Voortgangsrapportage Natuur, The Hague, 2024, accessed 30 June 2025, https://www.bij12.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Tiende-Voortgangsrapportage-Natuur_UA.pdf.