Nitrogen in Utrecht
Many nature reserves in Utrecht have been suffering from nitrogen for years. The number of animal species is decreasing and vulnerable animals are losing their living environment. As a result, the province no longer complies with European and national guidelines. In order to achieve the European nature objectives, nitrogen precipitation in Natura 2000 areas must be reduced.
The Netherlands, a leader in Europe when it comes to nitrogen emissions, set the targets two years ago in the Nitrogen and Nature Improvement Act: in almost three-quarters of sensitive nature, the overload must have stopped before 2035. The Cabinet Rutte-IV is taking it a step further. In the coalition agreement, the deadline has been brought forward to 2030. The law still needs to be amended for that.
The province of Utrecht has been tasked with reducing nitrogen emissions by 46 percent, a far-reaching task that turned out to be higher than expected. In our province, almost half (49 percent) of the nitrogen in Natura 2000 areas comes from agriculture. 33 percent come from abroad. Road traffic, shipping and industry account for 8, 4 and 2 percent of nitrogen precipitation, respectively.