Defense Ministry munitions plan hits legal hurdle over badger burrow in Staphorst
Plans by the Dutch Ministry of Defense to build a large munitions storage facility in the forests of Staphorst face significant setbacks after the discovery of a badger sett in a protected nature reserve, RTV Oost reported. The project, already controversial for its environmental impact, now requires extensive compensation measures that could delay construction for years.
The munitions complex is planned in the Staphorster Bos, a forest home to a variety of protected wildlife, including badgers, foxes, red kites, several owl species, and bats. The area is part of the National Nature Network of the Netherlands (NNN), a nationwide system of protected ecological zones.
Defense officials reportedly selected the site despite its known environmental sensitivity. A public report commissioned by the ministry and conducted by consulting firm Antea found that Staphorst scored worst among all examined locations in terms of environmental impact. It was also the only proposed site located directly within a designated nature reserve.
“The construction of a munitions complex at the Staphorst location will have a very negative effect on the NNN,” the report stated. However, the site performed better than others in areas such as nearby housing, nitrogen emissions, noise, and energy grid compatibility, prompting the ministry to move forward despite ecological concerns.
The discovery of what appears to be a sizable badger sett within the construction zone adds further complexity. The Netherlands’ Nature Conservation Act requires that habitats of protected species be compensated elsewhere if disturbed or destroyed. “Multiple traces of a (large) sett have been found in the area,” the report noted. “Relatively extensive and specific habitats will likely need to be compensated.”
Researchers said these compensation requirements make construction more difficult and time-consuming. It would require additional space and could delay progress, adding ecological and legal obligations for the Ministry of Defense.
“Defense already has a problem,” Arend Spijker, chairman of the Stichting Das en Vecht, a badger advocacy foundation, told RTV Oost. “The badger is protected under the Nature Conservation Act and has a relatively high protection status. They will need to come up with a solution for the badgers. Catching and relocating them, or building an artificial sett, for example. The alternative must always be better than what existed before.”
Spijker warned that environmental organizations and other stakeholders will likely monitor the project closely and could pursue legal challenges up to the Council of State, the country’s highest administrative court. “That can easily cause a few years of delay,” he said.
He compared the badger’s home to a castle: “The badger has a stable sett that may have existed for hundreds or thousands of years. That makes it more complicated — it’s always a fairly large structure. And they live in family groups, with nieces and nephews. A fox, by comparison, lives in what you could call a mobile tent. The badger has a stable castle where the whole family clan resides.”
Mark Zekhuis, an ecologist who worked 28 years at Landschap Overijssel until this week, agreed. “Relocating badgers is difficult. Other areas may already have badgers, or local residents may object. I personally don’t see the problem, but I understand that some entrepreneurs fear difficulties if a protected species settles nearby. It’s quite complex,” he told RTV Oost.
The challenge is amplified by the fact that several badger families already live in the Staphorster Bos. “So relocating them to neighboring territory won’t be easy,” Spijker said. “It’s going to be a serious challenge, but it’s been done before.”
Despite the hurdles, Zekhuis emphasized the project’s importance. “The depot is of national importance. It will eventually be built. I just hope they compensate the nature properly — not just for the badgers or a specific part of the forest, but also for the peace and quiet people find in nature.”
