Nature Balance 2008 summary

Main conclusions of the Nature Balance 2008

• The quality of habitats in the Wadden Sea has improved slightly, but additional protection is required to conserve these habitats.
• In the North Sea, no improvement is yet noticeable. To protect marine habitats, it is necessary to make the fishery more sustainable, reduce environmental pressure and provide certain areas with additional protection.
• The quality of the surface water has improved, and can improve further. However, this is still not sufficient to comply with agreements made at the European level about protecting nature reserves of European importance.
• A corridor of wetland nature reserves throughout the Netherlands can prepare the natural habitats in the country for a changing climate. Plants and animals can better adapt to the new climate conditions. Moreover, this might contribute to the safety of the low-lying parts of the Netherlands.
• The total area of nature reserves in the Netherlands is increasing. But the environmental quality and the spatial conditions are not improving rapidly enough to attain the policy targets. The expenditures can be more efficiently attuned to the results desired by the government.
• Nature policy does not stop at the national borders. Therefore citizens in the Netherlands are discussing the effect that they have on the quality of habitats elsewhere in the world. Without considering all the implications and taking suitable measures, it will be very difficult to stop the worldwide loss of biodiversity.