Things are not going well with the Natura2000 areas in De Peel. Three times as much nitrogen settles in those areas as nature can handle there. That is very bad for the plant and animal species that occur there. And the water is also not going well: the groundwater levels are too low and too unstable due to drought and because too much groundwater is being pumped up. Things are not going well with the Biesbosch either, although it is slightly less dramatic there than in De Peel. The province has therefore rightly locked Brabant by no longer granting permits.
This is evident from the so-called ‘Nature target analyses’ (NDAs). The Ecological Authority must check whether those NDAs have been drawn up properly. This has now been done for three areas: the Biesbosch, the Groote Peel and Deurnsche Peel & Mariapeel.
The province is obliged to map the state of nature in those areas once every few years. The NDAs already showed that nature was far below standard in 15 of the 16 Natura2000 areas. The fact that these nature reserves are not doing well was confirmed again on Tuesday by the Ecological Authority.
The Peel
A number of measures must be taken to prevent further deterioration of the Deurnsche Peel & Mariapeel and the Groote Peel.
- Nitrogen must be tackled at the source, so the province must reduce emissions.
- Better plant management. Unwanted plants that grow well on nitrogen should be removed. So that the plants that should be there, get a chance again.
- Better groundwater management. The water level must be raised drastically to save the so-called high moors and to restore bird populations. So less water has to be pumped up, for example for spraying.
Biesbosch
The NDA for the Biesbosch was therefore also checked. This nature reserve is located at the transition between sea and land, where fresh and salt water come together. Due to the rising sea level and the drought, the salt water is moving further and further inland. So the area ‘shifts’ a bit.
The Biesbosch also suffers from nitrogen, desiccation, climate change and even recreation. Things are now getting worse in the designated Natura2000 area: 12 of the 44 plant and animal species are not doing well. One bright spot is that things seem to be improving to the east of that area.
By involving this area in the Biesbosch, there is hope to achieve the goals, thinks the Ecological Authority. But whether that happens is up to the Ministry of Agriculture and Nature.
Rightly ‘locked’
The province has therefore rightly ‘locked’ Brabant, according to this study. Since March, the province has stopped issuing permits for projects that provide extra nitrogen that ends up in Natura2000 areas. A right choice, it turns out. But it’s still not enough. Nitrogen must be reduced even further and groundwater levels must be raised, confirms this study by the Authority.
Deputy for Nature and Water Hagar Rooijackers: “The advice confirms the fact that nature suffers from the nitrogen that settles. We already saw that in February, so we couldn’t help but be honest about the fact that granting permits would be very difficult.”
Now that the nature target analyzes have been approved, the work for the province is not yet finished. By 1 July at the latest, the province must submit a package of measures to Minister Van der Wal, stating how Brabant will achieve the targets for nitrogen, climate and water for 2030. These NDAs are critical to that plan.
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