Well-being natural capital

Natural capital concerns the natural resources used by people, society and the economy. This comprises soil, water and air, along with the associated ecosystems such as forests, heath and arable land, and the plants and animals which occur there. Nature contributes to all kinds of aspects of well-being, such as health and welfare, food production and leisure activities.

• Pressure on nature is having an impact on biodiversity.
• Economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions have been uncoupled, in an absolute as well as a relative sense: GDP (in constant prices) is growing, while total greenhouse gas emissions are falling.

Colour codes and notes to the dashboards in the Monitor of Well-being

Some of the relevant indicators for natural capital are also addressed in themes under well-being ‘here and now’. This theme considers the resources underlying natural capital which future generations will need to ensure their well-being. If the current generation exhausts or diminishes the availability of the various forms of capital, the following generation will not be able to achieve the same level of well-being ‘here and now’. If natural capital is exhausted, particularly at the global level, the basis for human life will be endangered.

Water, air and soil

Phosphorus and nitrogen surpluses have negative consequences for the quality of surface water and ecosystems such as heathland, forest and dunes. Excess nitrogen in soil leads to declines in rare plant and animal species and increases the risk of vulnerable species disappearing.

The phosphorus surplus has fallen sharply since 2000. In recent years, it has been stable: it fluctuates around 4 kilograms per hectare of cultivated land. The nitrogen surplus is falling, and in 2023 and 2024 it was the lowest since measurements began in 2000. However, compared with 18 other EU countries for which these figures are available, the Netherlands had the largest nitrogen surplus by some margin in 2019. By way of illustration: the surplus in the Netherlands was more than double that of the country with the second largest surplus (Czechia). The figures in SDG 15 Life on land show that the proportion of nature on land affected by excess nitrogen is decreasing, but that it still accounts for 71.4 percent of the total.

The quality of surface water is inadequate. In 2024, the proportion of the total area of fresh surface water that met the chemical quality standard was 0.0 percent. If the limit for at least one of the chemical substances or groups of substances investigated is exceeded, the chemical quality standard is not met. Additionally, 5.1 percent of the total area was of good biological quality (SDG 6 Clean water and sanitation) and the quality of seawater is low compared with other EU countries (SDG 14 Life below water).

Freshwater and saltwater are extracted from nature for various purposes, such as drinking water production, irrigation for agriculture and cooling for industrial processes. The total quantity of groundwater extracted is strongly correlated with the weather. Due to dry summers, a relatively large per capita volume of groundwater was extracted by agriculture and drinking water companies in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022, and significantly less in the relatively wet years of 2021 and 2023. In 2023, the extraction of fresh surface water was also lower than in 2022. This fall was primarily caused by power stations using less cooling water in 2023 due to reduced electricity production.

Air quality is improving. Urban exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5, i.e. particles with a diameter less than 2.5 micrometres) and the quantity of substances that cause acidification (sulphur oxide, nitrogen oxide and ammonia) are falling (SDG 11.2 Living environment).

Nature and ecosystems

The area of managed nature reserves is increasing. The Netherlands Nature Network (NNN) includes both existing and planned nature reserves on land in the Netherlands. In 2023, NNN areas accounted for 20.9 percent of the total land area.

The populations or distribution (depending on the species) of Dutch land fauna are falling. This is based on 203 native species of mammals, breeding birds, reptiles and butterflies characteristic of forest, heathland, dunes and extensively managed grasslands. The population of farmland birds is also falling (SDG 15 Life on land). The downward trend reflects the significantly worsened living conditions for the 27 species of meadow, field and farmyard birds monitored. The proportion of animal species not under threat is gradually increasing (Red List Indicator). In 2024, 61 percent were not under threat. Urban bird populations have fallen nearly 15 percent since measurements began in 2007 (SDG 11.2 Living environment).

Biodiversity in fresh water and marsh is increasing. Populations of 173 species of fish, breeding birds, amphibians, dragonflies, mammals and butterflies typical of fresh water and marsh are increasing. The reasons for this rising trend are varied and differ from one species to another. In 2024, there was a revision of the species selection, as a result of which we see an increase rather than the decrease seen in previous publications.

The fauna in the North Sea has also shown improvement. The average trend in the population size of 140 saltwater species fell by a little over 20 percent between 1990 and 2010, but it has risen in the years since. In 2021, biodiversity in the North Sea was slightly higher than in 1990 (an index of 106.6). The development of different species can display significant variation. Seabirds, jellyfish and porpoises have increased in number, whereas benthos species in particular have declined (SDG 14 Life below water).

Energy consumption and climate change

Cumulative CO₂ emissions provide an indication of the Dutch share of historic global CO₂ emissions. This proportion is high compared with other EU countries. Greenhouse gas emissions are falling, however, both as a total and per inhabitant. In 2024, greenhouse gas emissions were 36.6 percent lower than 1990 levels. The greenhouse gas intensity of the economy is also decreasing, with economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions being uncoupled in an absolute as well as a relative sense: GDP is growing, while total greenhouse gas emissions are falling (SDG 13 Climate action).

The installed capacity of renewable electricity from wind, water and solar is growing fast, in part due to the construction of onshore and offshore wind farms and the rapid growth in the capacity of solar power installations. In this regard, the Netherlands has caught up with other countries. In 2017, the Netherlands was ranked only 22nd in the EU, with a total installed capacity of 416 megawatts per million inhabitants. By 2024, installed capacity had grown to 2,000 megawatts per million inhabitants, putting the Netherlands among the leaders in 7th place. Installed capacity denotes the maximum amount of electricity that can be generated under favourable weather conditions. Actual production is lower, particularly for solar power. SDG 7 Affordable and clean energy shows that the consumption of energy is falling and that the share of renewable energy in gross national energy consumption has grown significantly, from 6.5 percent in 2017 to 17.4 percent in 2023. Investments in renewable energy and energy savings are also increasing, totalling 1.6 percent of GDP in 2023.