Vaals the greenest municipality in Netherlands

The Limburg municipality of Vaals, close to the border with Germany and Belgium, is the relatively greenest municipality in the Netherlands, reports the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG) on Nature Conservation Day. “More than three-quarters of the area per neighborhood is green, looking at low greenery and trees per neighborhood, excluding agricultural use,” the VNG said based on figures from 2021, the most recent.

After Vaals comes the municipality of Utrechtse Heuvelrug. Katwijk is the least green municipality, followed by Westland and Aalsmeer.

Of the four large cities, Amsterdam is the worst off when it comes to greenery. Among the provinces, Drenthe and Noord-Brabant are the greenest. They are the only two provinces with more than half their surface area covered in vegetation.

If you only look at low-growing greenery, the Wadden Islands stand out positively. Over 40 percent of the islands are green, with Terschelling taking the lead at over 52 percent.

The Wadden Islands also have the best air quality if you look specifically at nitrogen. The nitrogen situation is worst in the Rijnmond area. Limburg’s Nederweert suffers from the most particulate matter, partly due to intensive livestock farming.