To protect nature, the province decided on Wednesday evening to no longer grant permits for new projects that cause extra nitrogen emissions. According to forest ranger Irma de Potter, this decision is necessary: ”Nature can no longer wait”
“Unfortunately, we have known for decades that nature in Brabant is not doing well,” she says. “The conclusion that the state of nature has deteriorated even further is very worrying, but does not come as a surprise to us.”
In nature reserve De Kampina between Boxtel and Oisterwijk you are currently walking through a sea of greenery. At first glance, it doesn’t seem that bad with the plants and animals in the area. And according to the forest ranger, that is exactly the big misconception.
“Nature looks beautiful, doesn’t it?”
“I hear it more often from people: ‘It does look nice.’ But we are now seeing how many types of plants are disappearing.”
A little further on she kneels to show an example. “This is a nice clump of pink heather. But we’ve seen it blooming less and less in recent years. That’s because of different types of grasses that grow here. They can handle nitrogen much better, so they have started to proliferate and displace plants like the heather.”
And that has quite a few consequences. “The fewer different plant species, the fewer animals can live here.”
Trees also have a hard time due to the large amount of nitrogen that precipitates, says De Potter, pointing to a dead oak. “Nitrogen causes chemical processes in the soil. As a result, important minerals wash away to soil layers that the roots of the trees can no longer reach.”
“Tits are born with broken legs.”
This is also a minor disaster for birds. “Due to the lack of calcium in the soil, we see that birds lay fragile eggs. Or that titmice are even born with broken legs.”
To prevent this misery as much as possible, Irma de Potter and her colleagues try to restore nature as much as possible. “It is good that the province recognizes the outcome of these investigations,” says the forester. “But by not granting permits, nitrogen is not immediately reduced.”
“To restore nature, measures are needed that really reduce nitrogen emissions,” she adds. “After that, permits can also be issued again.”