Skip to content

Netherlands

Biodiversity

Biodiversity in numbers

The Netherlands contains 51 natural habitat types (1), a relatively high amount if we consider that it represents almost a quarter of all habitat types listed in Europe. The Netherlands contains important areas of salt meadows, coastal dunes, dry sand heath on inland dunes, natural eutrophic lakes and raised bogs. It provides habitat to 28 species of wild plants and animals, mentioned in the Annexes of the EU Habitat Directive (92/43/ECC), and to about 100 species of birds, mentioned in the Annexes of the EU Birds Directive (79/409/ECC) (2).

The Wadden Sea ecosystem, along the coast of the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark is a ‘Wetland of International Importance’ according to the Convention of Ramsar (1975) and has been recognized as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO (1990). Dutch wetlands and grasslands are of great international importance for water birds, partly because the Netherlands is located at the junction of flyways between the Arctic tundra and the African continent (2).

Vulnerabilities - Terrestrial biodiversity

The rate at which the temperature rises is likely too high to enable many species to adapt or migrate. Several plant and animal species are threatened with extinction in the Netherlands. New species will settle if they can migrate quickly enough. This will probably lead to a decreased diversity of species in the Netherlands (12).


Read more

Vulnerabilities - Fresh water and wetlands biodiversity

The water temperature in the shallow lakes of the Netherlands is gradually increasing … A sudden rise seems to have taken place between 1987 and 1990; this rise is parallel to the outdoor air temperature and probably associated with a rise in the NAO index (12)

The influence of water temperature and other climate effects on (swimming) water quality is on balance much smaller than the influence of nutrients and the composition of the fish stock. For example, lakes with a high phosphorus load are always turbid and mostly experience problems from blue algae, whereas those with low phosphorus loads are always clear and do not, or scarcely ever, experience problems from blue algae. The net result is that climate effects are often difficult to distinguish from other effects.


Read more

Vulnerabilities - Marine, estuarine and intertidal biodiversity

In a large part of the North Sea the quantity of phytoplankton is decreasing as the temperature of the seawater rises. In addition, the peak of the spring bloom is occurring increasingly earlier. However, the peak density of zooplankton feeding on phytoplankton occurs later in the season, when the availability of phytoplankton as a food source has already dropped. The peak in the plankton bloom is also no longer synchronized with the larval stage of fish and, therefore, fewer fish reach maturity. This means that a limited amount of food is available for the higher levels in the food chain (12).


Read more

Adaptation strategies

Several adaptation strategies help in preserving biodiversity. Corridors can be created that allow plants and animals to migrate. Areas can be protected and ecosystems can be restored. Plants and animals can be translocated from threathened areas to areas with climate conditions that better suit the species involved. Agro-environmental measures can be stimulated to protect wildlife and habitats and increase the environmental quality of agricultural land. Integrated water and coastal management serve biodiversity in many ways.


Read more

References

The references below are cited in full in a separate map 'References'. Please click here if you are looking for the full references for the Netherlands.

  1. NMP (2003), in: Nillesen and Van Ierland (2006)
  2. Nillesen and Van Ierland (2006)
  3. Tamis (2005), in: Nillesen and Van Ierland (2006)
  4. Mooij et al. (2005), in: Nillesen and Van Ierland (2006)
  5. Van Ierland et al. (2001), in: Nillesen and Van Ierland (2006)
  6. MNP (2004), in: Nillesen and Van Ierland (2006)
  7. Paerson and Dawson (2005),in: Nillesen and Van Ierland (2006)
  8. Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (2009)
  9. Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) (2008)
  10. Leemans and Van Vliet (2004), in: Nillesen and Van Ierland (2006)
  11. Van Oene et al. (1999), in: Nillesen and Van Ierland (2006)
  12. Bresser (2006)
  13. Van Geijn (1998), in: Nillesen and Van Ierland (2006)
  14. Mooij et al. (2005), in: Nillesen and Van Ierland (2006)
  15. Raad voor Verkeer en Waterstaat (2009)
  16. Interprovinciaal Overleg (2009)
  17. Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) (2008)
  18. PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (2011)
  19. Van Vliet et al. (2014)
  20. Visser et al. (2009), in: Hölzel et al. (2016)
  21. Both et al. (2006), in: Hölzel et al. (2016)

Share this article: