NOS
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 17:42
The nitrogen policy that governments have implemented since 2021 helps nature, but it hardly contributes to achieving the nitrogen targets. Significantly more will therefore have to be done to substantially reduce the nitrogen load in nature reserves. This is evident from an analysis by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, Wageningen University and the RIVM.
The researchers only looked at policy that has already been specifically developed. Plans that are still in the pipeline, such as the provinces’ proposals for rural areas, are therefore not included in the study.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Nature says that the research confirms the existing picture and that the now outgoing cabinet is therefore already busy intensifying the current policy, but that any new measures are up to the next cabinet.
Policy only contributes to a quarter
On average, the exceedance of the nitrogen precipitation that nature can handle in sensitive areas will decrease by a third between 2021 and 2030, the researchers expect. This can mainly be attributed to developments abroad, which account for 45 percent of the decrease, for example because air quality in neighboring countries is improving. Other policies that have already been implemented also contribute, such as stricter fertilizer rules and cleaner cars.
The additional nitrogen measures, such as buying out peak load generators and the nature measures taken, only contribute a quarter of this reduction. An earlier NOS story also showed that buying out livestock farms only makes a modest contribution to reducing nitrogen emissions.
Many measures have not yet been developed
The fact that little additional nitrogen reduction is being achieved is partly because there has been a lot of discussion about nitrogen, but many measures have not yet been properly developed. This also emerged on Monday from an earlier study by largely the same research institutions. For example, there are few subsidies or schemes that farmers can take advantage of. Moreover, there is too little data available about the state of nature, which means that it is also difficult to monitor the effect of nature measures taken.
What also makes the goals more difficult to achieve is that the nitrogen precipitation that nature can handle turned out to be lower than previously thought. It is possible that nitrogen is significantly reduced, but still too much is emitted to achieve the target.
1 percent of areas below standard
The percentage of nitrogen-sensitive nature that is no longer overloaded will increase from 28 percent to 31 percent in 2030, the researchers calculate. But only part of this can really be attributed to the nitrogen policy. All in all, the nitrogen problem has only been solved in 1 percent of the areas by the implemented policy. The goal of 50 percent clean areas is therefore not even remotely in sight without additional measures.
The researchers therefore warn that the policy will not ensure that many more permits can suddenly be granted again. They further insist that much closer attention must be paid to how nature is doing in Natura 2000 areas, so that data becomes available on measures that have been taken. The provinces, assisted by the recently established Ecological Authority, have recently started to do this.
2024-02-28 16:42:57
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