The quality of the environment in the Netherlands has improved considerably since 1990. Emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere, for example, have been reduced significantly as a result of measures taken to comply with European standards. Almost everywhere, the air quality meets the European requirements as cars become cleaner and emissions produced by manufacturing industry are reduced. Contaminated soil sites have been mapped, facilitating a systematic approach. Waste produced by industries and households is increasingly recycled. Although the water quality has improved marginally, a major effort will be required to comply with the European standards for 2027 as laid down in the Water Framework Directive.
The editors have selected the most important indicators. Together, they provide a picture of the state of the environment.
Vernieuwd
Habitat defragmentation measures for infrastructure, 2018
Indicator | 11 november 2021At the end of 2018, of the 176 ecological barriers identified and selected in the Multiyear Habitat Defragmentation Programme, 126 had been removed and 40 partly removed by taking mitigation... meer
Landscape openness, 2017
Indicator | 10 november 2021Despite the trend towards uniformity in the Dutch landscape, extremes in the degree of landscape openness can still be found. The most open areas are the large water bodies, the northern marine... meer
Spatial conditions of the national ecological network, 2019
Indicator | 10 november 2021The increase in the area of new nature since 1990 has improved the size and connectivity (spatial conditions) of terrestrial ecosystems in the Netherlands. However, a considerable part of the... meer
Nature and Landscape Index
Indicator | 10 november 2021The Nature and Landscape Index (Index NL) indicates the presence and locations of management types of natural and semi-natural areas in the Netherlands and is the basis for the provincial nature... meer
Ecosystem quality (area) 1994-2017
Indicator | 10 november 2021An indicator of the quality of ecosystems is the presence of qualifying species in protected natural areas. Almost 40% of the area of terrestrial ecosystems has a moderately high to high... meer
