Netherlands

Netherlands is a low-lying country of reclaimed polders and the river deltas of the Rhine, Meuse, and Scheldt, with the highest point Vaalserberg at 321m, occurring in the southern Limburg plateau. Netherlands has a terrestrial area above 37,000km² and a marine areas close to 59,000km². With a coastline on the North Sea, it is bordered by 2 other countries. Netherlands has a population of 17.5 million people and a population density of 512 people per km².

of land covered

by protected areas

of marine waters

covered by protected areas

species protected

under EU law

habitats protected

under EU law

Protected areas in Netherlands cover a total of km² on land and km² at sea.

Percentage of area covered by protected areas

Currently, of terrestrial territory of Netherlands is designated as protected areas, which is above the EU value of 26.4%. The EU Biodiversity Strategy has set a target of reaching 30% protected area coverage at the EU level by 2030. In the marine waters of the Netherlands, protected areas coverage is currently at , which is below thethe EU value of 12.1%.

Number of protected areas

Netherlands has a total of protected areas, comprising sites designated under national laws and recognized as Natura 2000 sites. These Natura 2000 sites are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas, and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance. Many sites are designated under both Directives.

Number of protected areas

Protected areas designated

under national laws

Designated sites

in the Natura 2000 network

Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000

In Netherlands, more than half of the terrestrial protected areas are Natura 2000 sites overlapping with national designations. Another is covered solely by nationally designated areas. The marine protected areas network in the Netherlands largely consists of Natura 2000 sites, either designated solely or overlapping with nationally designated sites.

Spatial distribution of protected areas network

Protected areas designated under national laws

Designated sites in the Natura 2000 network

Size distribution of protected areas network

The majority (46%) of terrestrial protected areas in the Netherlands are 10-100km² and the proportion of smaller protected areas (smaller than 1km²) is only 8%, which is lower than the EU average. The marine protected areas network of the Netherlands is characterized by the presence of larger protected areas with the majority (46%) being larger than 1,000km².

Natura 2000 sites

Natura 2000 sites in Netherlands cover species and habitats from the nature directives. The number of species and habitats protected in each site varies depending on the location of the site, the biodiversity in the region, the designation being used, and the features the site is being created to protect.

Species protected in Netherlands under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. Netherlands hosts protected under the Habitats Directive, which is approximately 6% of the total of the Habitats Directive’s species and protected birds, which is approximately 49% of the species protected under the Birds Directive.

species protected under EU law

species under the Habitats Directive

species under the Birds Directive

Conservation Status of species: Habitats Directive

In Netherlands, of species assessments indicate a good conservation status, while the EU average corresponds to 27.5%. The proportion of assessments indicating bad conservation status is reaching , compared to the EU average of 20.6%.

Protected species composition by taxonomic group

In Netherlands, the distribution of protected species across taxonomic groups highlights the prominence of birds, comprising the largest proportion at 73.7%. They are followed by mammals, accounting for 8.2% of protected species, and arthropods, representing 4.9%.

Conservation Status by Taxa

In Netherlands, the assessment of species groups reveals that vascular plants and non-vascular plants have the highest proportion of species with a good conservation status, standing at 40%. Following closely behind are amphibians, with 36.3% of species in good conservation status. On the other hand, fish exhibit the highest percentage of species with a bad conservation status, reaching 63.6%. The assessments for other invertebrates are reporting poor conservation status at 100%.

Habitats protected in Netherlands under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. Netherlands hosts habitat types, which is approximately 22.3% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.

habitats protected under EU law in Netherlands

Conservation status of habitats

In Netherlands only 11.5% of habitats assessments indicate a good conservation status which is below the EU average of 14.7%. A significant proportion of assessments, amounting to 34.6%, indicate a poor conservation status, while habitats assessments reporting bad conservation status are 53.8%, surpassing the EU average of 35.8%.

Protected habitat composition by group

In Netherlands, the group of protected habitats with the largest number consists of coastal and inland dunes habitats, accounting for 23% of the total. Following behind are grasslands, coastal and salt-tolerant habitats, each accounting for 15.3% of the protected habitats.

Conservation status by group

In Netherlands the assessment of habitat groups reveals that dune habitats have the highest proportion of good conservation status, standing at 41.6%. Following behind are freshwater habitats, with 14.2% of habitat types in good conservation status. On the other hand, heath and scrub exhibit the highest percentage of habitat types with a bad conservation status, reaching 100%, while grasslands habitats also have a significant proportion of habitat types in bad conservation status at 87.5%.

Netherlands is predominantly characterised by three main types of ecosystems: Agroecosystems, which cover 63% of the country, followed by Urban areas occupying 16.8% of the land area, and Forest ecosystems accounting for 10%. However, The Netherlands has relatively smaller proportions of rivers and lakes (8.3%), heathlands (1.3%), and wetland ecosystems (0.7%).

In terms of the protected area network, rivers and lakes constitute the largest portion, covering 40% of the protected areas. Forest ecosystems make up 26.9% of the protected areas and agroecosystems account for 23.8%, reflecting the importance of conserving and managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity. Heathlands contribute to 3.8% of the protected areas, while wetlands represent 2.9%, and urban areas comprise 2.5%.