Advies over de Nederlandse pledges voor de Europese Biodiversiteitsstrategie 2030: Toelichting op het advies van Wageningen Research en Sovon Vogelonderzoek aan het ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit

Advice on the pledges to the European Commission concerning the targets of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030: Explanatory memorandum on the advice by Wageningen Research and Sovon Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology to the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. In this report Wageningen Environmental Research (WENR), Wageningen Marine Research (WMR) and Sovon Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology provide advice to the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) on the pledges regarding the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030. The European Commission has set a target for 2030 of designating at least 30% of the EU’s land area and 30% of its seas as a protected area; one third of this (10%) should be under a strict protection regime. The Commission also aims to improve the conservation status of at least 30% of the species and habitat types protected under the Birds and Habitats Directives that currently (as of 2022) have an inadequate or bad conservation status (for birds, populations with a ‘not secure’ status), and to prevent deterioration in the conservation status of the remaining species and habitat types. The European Commission asks EU member states to make a fair contribution towards meeting these targets. Under currently adopted policies, 27.3% of the land area in the Netherlands can have protected status by 2030 and 1.2% can be strictly protected, and 32.4% of the marine area can have protected status and 0.55% strictly protected. The targets for improving the EU population status of Birds Directive species and the conservation status of Habitats Directive species can be achieved in the Netherlands with the measures proposed in this study, assuming they are ecological feasible. In the present study it is estimated that the targets for ‘no deterioration’ can be achieved in the Netherlands, again assuming ecological feasibility, with the exception of eight Birds Directive species, two Habitats Directive species and seven habitat types. This estimation does not take account of social feasibility. This aspect is something that should be taken into consideration in a possible follow-up to this study, but could not be included here given the information and time available. The pledges will be subject to a European review process, which may lead to adjustments of the pledges.