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Environmental information systems
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
is covered
by protected areas
of marine waters
is covered
by protected areas
species
are protected
under EU law
habitats
are protected
under EU law
Sources: Terrestrial protected area coverage by country and in the EU-27 by the end of 2023, Marine protected areas in Europe's seas (2023), Conservation status of habitat types and species: datasets from Article 17, Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC reporting (2013-2018).
In 2023, of 's land was designated as protected areas, aligned with the EU value of 26.4%. With a coverage of in its marine waters, surpasses the EU value of 13.7%.
The data sources and related statistics refer to 2023, therefore aligned with the EEA indicators: Designated terrestrial protected areas in Europe, Natura 2000 sites designated under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives, Marine protected areas in Europe's seas.
Percentage of area covered by protected areas
Evolution of area covered by protected areas
From 2012 to 2023 the share of terrestrial protected areas in increased by 9.5%, above the EU value increase of 1.8%.
National marine protected areas coverage trends are not available because methodological changes prevent a consistent comparison across years.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy has set a target of reaching 30% protected area coverage at the EU level by 2030.
If you want to know more about the Biodiversity Strategy, you can explore the Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD) and in particular the Dashboard section showing progress of the EU and its Member States towards the Biodiversity Strategy targets set for 2030.
Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000
In , more than half of the terrestrial protected areas are Natura 2000 sites. The marine protected areas network in the Netherlands largely consists of Natura 2000 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 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 is characterized by the presence of larger protected areas with the majority (46%) being larger than 1,000km2.
A focus on Natura 2000 sites in
has a total of Natura 2000 sites, they are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas (SPA), and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance (SCI). Many sites are designated under both Directives.
Species protected in under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. 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.
The figures are based on data electronically reported by the Member States under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) on the conservation status of habitat types and species for the 2013–2018 reporting period.
species protected under EU law
species under the Habitats Directive
species under the Birds Directive
Conservation Status of species: Habitats Directive
In , 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 , 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 , 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 under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. hosts habitat types, which is approximately 22.3% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.
The figures are based on data electronically reported by the Member States under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) on the conservation status of habitat types and species for the 2013–2018 reporting period.
habitats protected under EU law in
Conservation status of habitats
In 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 , 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 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%).
The figures are based on the dataset "Ecosystem types of Europe 2012 - Full map (marine and terrestrial habitats) - version 3 revision 1, Feb. 2019".
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%.