News item | 8/31/2023 | 12:57
Parts of Dutch nature appear to be even more sensitive to nitrogen than previously thought. This is the conclusion of a new report by Wageningen Environmental Research on Critical Deposition Values (KDW’n) commissioned by the Minister for Nature and Nitrogen, in which international research has been translated into the Netherlands. This increases the task of bringing nature to a healthy level and achieving statutory targets.
Minister Christianne van der Wal: “The need to reduce nitrogen was already high, but the new scientific insights have unfortunately increased our task. This is worrying news for nature and for everyone who works so hard on our joint tasks to restore nature. It is also annoying news for anyone in need of permit space. In the coming period, I would like to have RIVM investigate the effect of our current efforts on achieving the statutory nature objectives and what may be additionally required”.
The CDW is the scientifically determined value above which there is a risk of significant damage to nature due to the influence of nitrogen. It differs per type of nature. These values are updated at European level approximately every ten years on the basis of international research. The new KDW report is a translation for Dutch nature based on the earlier European report about the KDW’n that came out last fall.
Forecasts
The impact of the adjusted CDWs depends on the new values and on the current deposition figures, ie how much nitrogen settles on location in practice. RIVM updates these figures every year. Out the first results The scientific insights, new figures and measurements implemented by RIVM this year show that the total nitrogen deposition in the Netherlands has also increased, both in the current situation and in the expectation for future years. This combination ensures that more nature is overloaded and that we have to do more to restore nature. The exact nature areas in which this is, is now being investigated by RIVM and will be published later this autumn.
The Nitrogen Reduction and Nature Improvement Act (Wsn) states that the Netherlands must protect sufficient surface area in Natura 2000 areas with nitrogen-sensitive nature against overload due to nitrogen deposition. According to the RVM, the area that is no longer overloaded by nitrogen is expected to have decreased. In 2025, 39 percent of the surface would no longer be congested, with the new figures this is still 29 percent. In 2030 this will be 43 percent respectively, which has fallen to 30 percent.
It should be noted, however, that recent proposals, such as the elaboration of the National Program for Rural Areas (NPLG) and the Approach to Peak Load, are not included in these figures. In doing so, we are committed to significantly reducing the overload on nature.
Follow-up
The latest scientific insights put pressure on the goals of the Wsn to bring nitrogen-sensitive nature to a healthy level. According to the Wsn, at least 40 percent of nitrogen-sensitive nature must be at a healthy level by 2025. The Minister of Nature and Nitrogen has asked RIVM to investigate what effect current policy can still have. In addition, together with the provinces, we are looking at what this means for the area processes and the granting of permits for PAS detectors, housing, the energy transition, infrastructure, defense and other projects of great importance. The government continues to consider it very important that the granting of permissions, within the framework of the law, can proceed as much as possible and therefore continues to focus on reducing nitrogen emissions and improving the system of granting permissions.
The large fluctuation in the figures show that it is difficult to steer on a benchmark such as the KDW, which changes with new insights. The Minister for Nature and Nitrogen therefore considers it important that research into an alternative to the CDW as an environmental value is continued in the law. The first phase of this exploration has recently been completed. A feasibility study will be carried out in the coming months to investigate whether an alternative is ecologically effective, legally sustainable and feasible.