Nitrogen pollution in the Netherlands
The impact of nitrogen on Dutch fauna
Introduction to the Dutch landscape
The Dutch landscape is best known for its vast fields and flat lands. The Netherlands mostly lies below sea level and contains large amounts of land reclaimed from the sea with dikes and other forms of water management.
Because most of the land in the Netherlands was once underwater, there are no real primeval forests. However, there are nature reserves. One important nature reserve is the Veluwe, which is labelled on the map.
The Veluwe is crucial to nature in the Netherlands, but due to an increase in nitrogen pollution, it is beginning to experience more and more problems.
About nitrogen oxide
This map shows the nitrogen oxide level in the Netherlands in 2020. Darker red areas are those with higher nitrogen oxide concentrations. The largest dark red area contains the port of Rotterdam, the largest seaport in Europe.
Though a lot can be said about the previous and current plans for the reduction of nitrogen pollution, one thing is certain: the country is dealing with levels of nitrogen oxide that are too high for the ecosystems to support.
About ammonia
This map contains data about ammonia concentrations in the Netherlands for the years 2012 and 2020. You can compare the two years using the swipe bar. The 2020 data is on the left and the 2012 data is on the right.
The grayling butterfly
The grayling butterfly is a European butterfly that lives in sand and dune areas.
Since 1990, the species has become increasingly rare and there are even areas in the Netherlands where the butterfly has completely disappeared. It is now a protected species in many countries in Europe.
The caterpillar of the butterfly can't stand the effects of excess nitrogen pollution. High concentrations of nitrogen oxide and ammonia have an adverse effect on the species.
If nitrogen pollution isn't reduced, the species may struggle to survive in the future.
This layer displays the difference in chance of occurrence for the grayling butterfly between 2012 and 2020. The brown squares show a negative change, meaning that the butterfly was in this area in 2012 but not in 2020. The green squares show an increase of the chance of occurrence of the butterfly.