The province of Drenthe must quickly show decisiveness to offer a solution to the nitrogen problem. That is the purport of a letter that four nature organizations in Drenthe sent to the States members and the provincial government. The statement was signed by Stichting Het Drentse Landschap, Nature and Environment Federation Drenthe, Vereniging Natuurmonumenten and Staatsbosbeheer.
The poor state of nature and the lack of permits is a cause of great concern to them. The empire and the provinces are urged to achieve a breakthrough.
The ideas of nitrogen minister Christianne van der Wal offer opportunities for this, according to the nature organizations. She recently presented her plans to break the nitrogen impasse. One of her proposals, for example, is to buy out farmers voluntarily, through a financially attractive arrangement. The sooner farmers sign up for a stopper scheme, the more favorable the conditions.
To prevent the implementation of the plans from being slowed down, the province of Drenthe must implement this itself. “It must be prevented that the state and the provinces continue to pass the ball to each other. We are not getting anywhere with the constant discussion of necessity and goals, everyone’s share in them and the measurement models. Based on the proposals in the outline letter, the provinces are now itself,” the letter stated.
In addition, the province of Drenthe is called upon to put the nitrogen targets in a clear schedule. The government wants to reduce nitrogen emissions by half by 2030. In addition, three quarters of the nitrogen-sensitive Natura 2000 areas must be at a healthy level.
As far as the nature organizations are concerned, more parties should be involved in this consultation, for example the business community, in this so-called ‘area-oriented approach’. There, the nitrogen situation per province is determined and plans are developed for what is possible. Until now, no concrete steps or progress have been made in the discussion of this approach, the nature organizations conclude.
The ‘nature target analyses’ will be completed between the end of 2022 and April 2023. It should be clear in every area by July 2023 at the latest what needs to be done.