Natura2000 Sites: Protected Natural Areas in the Netherlands as of July 2015

July 2015 boundaries for 154 definitively designated Natura 2000 sites in the Netherlands, part of the EU's network of protected areas under the Birds and Habitats Directives. The dataset includes three marine areas in the North Sea's Exclusive Economic Zone and provisional designations for two other areas. It was provided by the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.

Use Cases

• Mapping the spatial distribution of protected habitats based on the described site boundaries.
• Analyzing the network coherence of Natura 2000 areas as mentioned in the description.
• Monitoring the designation timeline and status of sites under the Birds and Habitats Directives.
• Studying the inclusion of specific features like underground limestone quarries in certain habitat areas.

Strengths

• Contains boundaries for 154 definitively designated sites as of a specific date (15 July 2015).
• Includes provisional and draft designations, providing a snapshot of the network's status.
• Covers both terrestrial and marine areas, including three sites in the North Sea EEZ.

Limitations

• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
• Row count and column-level documentation are absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the Dutch national submission to the EU network.

Provenance

Source

Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties (Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations)

Collection Method

Official designation and notification to the European Commission under EU directives.

Time Range

Designations from 1986-2000 (Birds Directive) and 2008-2015 (Habitats Directive), with a snapshot from July 2015.

Freshness

Snapshot as of 15 July 2015; update frequency unknown.

Geography

Netherlands, including terrestrial areas and marine areas in the North Sea Exclusive Economic Zone.