Nature protection and biodiversity - Outlook 2020 (Netherlands)

It is expected that nitrogen emissions and eutrophication of waters will hardly decrease under the present policy and planned measures (Figure 9). In 2007 the Dutch Government and the provinces agreed to prioritise the raising of groundwater tables to restore wet nature areas. To comply with the Habitats Directive, Natura 2000 is prioritised in these actions. If these measures are taken, the abiotic quality will improve. The gain in new protected nature areas is not fast enough to reach the Dutch policy goal for the total amount of protected areas (Figure 11) in 2018. Because many red-listed species depend on specific conditions in protected nature areas, the above may implicate that the Red List will not be shorter in 2020. Climate change is expected to keep altering the species composition in the Netherlands, as is the case for the whole of Europe.

Figure 11. Nature areas within the Netherlands increase through the conversion of farmland. SEBI indicator 7/8. Source: Dutch Ministry of LNV, the Netherlands, PBL (2009).