Revised Dutch land use plan scales back protections for nature and agriculture
The Dutch government has released a revised draft of the Nota Ruimte, the national spatial planning plan outlining land use and development in the Netherlands through 2050, with several measures affecting nature and agriculture softened. Demissionary Minister Mona Keijzer (Housing and Spatial Planning, BBB) presented the document on Friday. Hugo de Jonge, her predecessor, had issued the previous version.
The earlier draft identified so-called “agriculture focus areas,” regions requiring significant work to restore biodiversity, water quality, or soil health. That terminology has now nearly disappeared.
Provisions for livestock farms have also been changed. Last year’s draft noted that “to work on health and nature, it is expected that Dutch livestock farming will decline in size in the coming decades.” That sentence has been removed. The new draft allows some agriculture to become less intensive, while other sectors are projected to produce “in a high-tech, innovative, intensive manner” by 2050.
Keijzer told the ANP that “the reality of this sector has made its way into the cabinet through the BBB. In my document, nature still has an equally strong place as before. In the plan, you will also find a map showing all Natura 2000 areas and the National Ecological Network. So all of them are included.”
Restoration of stream valleys on sandy soils remains a goal, but buffer zones around these areas have been reduced. Where the earlier draft mandated buffer zones of 100 to 250 meters, the new version merely requires buffers on both sides of the streams.
The draft also introduces more conditions for raising groundwater levels. The earlier version indicated levels could rise 10 to 50 centimeters in high sandy soils, but the new draft adds conditions based on regional needs and soil composition.
In other areas, groundwater will rise 20 to 40 centimeters below the surface, with explicit acknowledgment that variations may occur within specific areas. Water boards may adjust levels, including in consultation with farmers. Keijzer emphasized that natural circumstances can justify lower increases. She said, “In practice, you may encounter the question: is there enough groundwater to raise the level at all? Is there sufficient water in the IJsselmeer?”
