March will be anything but spring-like, but that is according to Weatheronline normal. Temperatures around freezing are common at night, and temperatures below 0 are also not unusual for this time of year. During the month it can get colder than usual. In some places it can be up to 100 at night 10 degrees freeze.
According to biologist Arnold van Vliet, such temperatures can cause problems for plants and animals that have come out of hibernation early due to the warm start of the year. “The winter has been extremely warm, really well above average. As a result, the start of spring in nature is weeks ahead of schedule.”
If plants and animals wake up early due to the heat, this increases their vulnerability to the low temperatures that await us. “It usually goes well with nights around freezing point. Most plants and animals can withstand night frost. But if it drops to 10 degrees below 0, animals and plants will freeze to death,” explains the biologist from Wageningen University.
According to Van Vliet, nature can take a beating, but not if those knocks return every year and worsen. “Nature is used to circumstances that vary each year. There are always reserves in nature. But it does cause damage, and it can become irreversible. Nature cannot keep up if extreme circumstances occur more often and for longer.”
Nature is already under pressure, for example due to nitrogen, construction work and other disturbance by humans. If extreme weather conditions are also increasingly involved, this can lead to irreversible damage. The more often that happens, and the more extreme the fluctuations in temperature are, the more species will be affected. And because of climate change, it is also happening more often. March stirs its start more and more emphatically, and April does what it wants more and more extreme.
Biodiversity loss already underway
Van Vliet cites butterflies as an example of animals that cannot withstand the cold once they have come out of hibernation. “The little fox was one of the most common butterfly species in the Netherlands, but that population has declined enormously in recent years. As soon as the temperature is high enough, they become active. When it gets cold again, they can’t handle it very well.”
Fruit trees are also known for the damage they sustain when it gets cold when they have already bloomed. “They now bloom early due to the heat, but are lost again when a cold period comes over,” says Van Vliet.
We can actually get more trouble from some animals, warns the biologist. “Because it was warm early on, we already see many reports of tick bites on Tick Radar. Ticks are usually well insulated in the soil and are therefore less affected by cold periods that follow once they are awake.”
Due to the changes in temperature, more and more plant species are disappearing in the Netherlands. “Research shows that 40 percent of the plant species in the Netherlands will be in trouble in 2080 if things continue like this,” says Van Vliet. “Apart from the fact that the loss of that biodiversity is just a shame, it has major consequences for the animals and plants that do remain in the Netherlands.”
There are solutions – big and small
The cabinet announced last week that it would invest 110 million euros in NL2120. Within that project, various organizations work together on solutions to problems in the field of climate, nature and biodiversity.
According to Van Vliet, the investments will give nature conservation a significant boost. “We have to put less pressure on nature. And create more nature, both in nature reserves and in built-up areas.”
In the short term, citizens can also help with the conservation of plants and animals. “Leave the garden in winter mode for a while,” advises Van Vliet. “Then insects and other animals have more places where they can hide when it gets cold.”
