Reducing agricultural N emissions in the Netherlands: Technical possibilities, practical complications and the projected effect of Dutch regulations on biodiversity

Van der Windt, Peter (2019) Reducing agricultural N emissions in the Netherlands: Technical possibilities, practical complications and the projected effect of Dutch regulations on biodiversity. Bachelor's Thesis, Biology.

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Abstract

Anthropogenic N emissions are currently one of the biggest drivers of biodiversity loss in the Netherlands. This has led to the implementation of multiple Dutch regulations to mitigate N emissions since 1987, of which the programmatic approach nitrogen (PAN) is the most recent. After a period of rapid decline, Dutch N emissions have stagnated since 2005. The objective of this research is to find to what extent the further reduction of agricultural N emissions is limited by technical and practical constraints and to what degree Dutch policies such as the PAN can mitigate the effects of excessive N deposition on biodiversity. I find that, while there is some technical potential to improve nitrogen management on Dutch farms, the realisation of reductions in agricultural N emissions is often complicated by practical obstacles, such as resistance in farmers to comply with regulations. Farmers will likely need to be more involved in the process of policy making to reduce this resistance and to be fully invested in the idea of nature conservation. Additionally, the proper use of on-site restoration measures will be of critical value to comply with the Habitats directive if the Dutch N emission objectives are not drastically lowered in the foreseeable future.

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor's Thesis)
Supervisor name:	Elzenga, J.T.M.
Degree programme:	Biology
Thesis type:	Bachelor's Thesis
Language:	English
Date Deposited:	12 Feb 2019
Last Modified:	12 Feb 2019 15:23
URI:	https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/19148

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