On land, arable and horticultural areas and agricultural (including other) grassland are the largest ecosystems (together 19.2 thousand square kilometers). Then follow built-up areas and various (semi)natural ecosystems, such as forest areas.
The Netherlands also consisted of 7.9 thousand square kilometers of fresh and saltwater, such as rivers and lakes, the Wadden Sea, and the North Sea.
The area of (semi)natural grassland increased by 255 square kilometers. The amount of forest (28 square kilometers) and heathlands and inland sand areas (15 square kilometers) also increased. Marsh and peat areas (7 square kilometers), natural arable land (4 square kilometers), and dune and coastal areas (3 square kilometers) decreased slightly.
The area of built-up areas and urban green increased by 111 square kilometers during the same period. A larger part of the Netherlands is now built-up area. This change was accompanied by a decrease in agricultural and other grassland. These ecosystems shrank by 457 square kilometers, a decline of 5 percent. Agricultural and other grassland was partly converted to built-up areas and arable and horticultural areas, but also partly changed into natural grassland through the expansion of nature and landscape management.
In 2023, Gelderland had the largest area of (semi)natural ecosystems on land with 1.4 thousand square kilometers. More than one-fifth of the total (semi)natural ecosystem area on land is located in this province. Gelderland also has the largest share of (semi)natural ecosystems relative to the total land area, followed by Drenthe, Limburg, and North Brabant.
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From Monday, November 24, we will replace the electronic signs along the Markerwaarddijk (the DRIPs). New, modern signs...
