The Netherlands has ratified various international conventions on the conservation and restoration of biodiversity, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Bonn Convention, the Bern Convention, the Ramsar Convention and the Cartagena Convention. Under the Bonn Convention – the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals – various agreements have been made concerning policies for migratory animals. These include agreements on African-Eurasian migratory birds (AEWA), bats (EUROBATs), seals (Agreement on the Conservation of Seals in the Wadden Sea) and small cetaceans (ASCOBANS). Under these conventions, periodic reports are required on the measures that have been taken and/or the effects of these measures, including trends. The reporting frequency differs between conventions. The Natura Information Provision expertise area assists the Ministry with the preparation of these reports, providing organisational support, substantive input and expertise. 

The EU Birds and Habitats Directives, including the Natura 2000 network, are important instruments for the conservation and restoration of biodiversity in Europe. The European Union requires member states to transpose these directives into national law. In the Netherlands, the directives have been incorporated into the Environment And Planning Act (Omgevingswet). In addition, the Netherlands is legally obliged to designate protected Natura 2000 sites and draw up management plans for these areas. Progress is reported to the European Commission via the Natura 2000 standard data forms (SDFs). Birds Directive Article 12 and Habitats Directive Article 17 reports must be submitted to the European Commission every six years. The Nature Information Provision expertise area assists the Ministry with the preparation of these reports (SDFs, Art. 12 and Art. 17 reports), providing organisational support, substantive input and expertise. In these reports, member states show whether the protection measures they have taken have resulted in an improvement in the conservation status of protected birds or the conservation status of habitat types and species. These reports provide the baseline for Article 4 and 5 of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation.

Since 1978, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark have been working together on the protection of the Wadden Sea in the Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation (TWSC) through management, monitoring and research. This cooperation is based on the Joint Declaration on the Protection of the Wadden Sea, which was first signed in 1982 and last updated in 2010. The guiding principle is ‘a natural and sustainable ecosystem in which natural processes proceed in an undisturbed way.’ A trilateral ministerial conference is held every three to five years. One of the outcomes of the agreement is the Trilateral Monitoring and Assessment Programme (TMAP) for scientific assessments of the status and development of the Wadden Sea ecosystem and the reporting on progress made with implementing the Trilateral Targets of the Wadden Sea Plan in Quality Status Reports. The Nature Information Provision expertise area monitors benthic fauna, mussel beds, salt marshes, breeding birds and seal populations.

The TWSC also incorporates the Agreement on the Conservation of the Seals in the Wadden Sea, which was concluded under the Bonn Convention. The management measures and policies for the common and grey seals and harbour porpoise in and around the Wadden Sea are contained in the five-year Seal Management Plan (SMP), which was drawn up by the Trilateral Seal Expert Group (TSEG) and approved by the responsible ministers in the three Wadden Sea countries.

The purpose of the Dutch Forest Inventory (NBI) is to obtain a picture of the current condition of Dutch forests and the changes since the previous inventory. The NBI focuses mainly on the biomass and timber production aspects of forests. The results of the NBI are important for the Dutch government in meeting its international reporting obligations, including on carbon sequestration (also known as the United Nations Climate Change Convention) and various international surveys, such as the FAO’s Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) and Forest Europe (previously MCPFE). These surveys result in overview reports, such as the Global Forest Resource Assessment 2020 and State of Europe’s Forests 2020. The research also provides information for compliance with Article 12 of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation. In addition, the NBI contains information for interested parties in the Dutch forest and nature sector.

The Dutch government is considering full membership of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), not because of its fisheries interests, but to gain experience with the fisheries management procedures in the CCAMLR. These concern not only the management of commercial species, but also the protection of the predator species which depend on them. The primary underlying ‘political’ goal of this statutory research task is the justification of the Netherlands’ ‘consultative membership’ of the Antarctic Treaty System. The Netherlands is obliged to conduct research in Antarctica, which is carried out by WOT Nature Information Provision.

In the footsteps of the otter (in Dutch)

The otter, one of the Netherlands’ most appealing predators, is a native and belongs here. Following its reintroduction in 2002, Wageningen University & Research has been monitoring progress with the recovery of the otter population and how we can facilitate this recovery.

Dutch forest area is getting smaller, but more diverse (in Dutch)

Monitoring by Wageningen University & Research over many years has given us a good understanding of the development and composition of Dutch forests. These data are used to set climate targets and inform discussions about converting forests into open natural areas. 

Status of biodiversity in the Netherlands (in Dutch)

Biodiversity is the common thread running through all of WOT Nature & Environment’s programmes. The Dutch government is committed to halting the loss of biodiversity. Wageningen University & Research monitors the effects of the measures taken by the government and has written a report on the current situation.

Birds and Habitats Directives reporting 2019 (in Dutch) (pdf)