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Netherlands – Tools and guidance for appropriate assessment In the Netherlands a ‘route planner for consideration of protected nature in environmental permits’ is available (1), which helps in taking all the steps necessary in the process. This route planner is intended for the applicant of an environmental permit where a nature check is required. It is also intended for the competent authority involved in the processing of an application for an environmental permit, namely the municipality and the province. This route planner describes the procedural steps that are necessary if an assessment for protected species or protected Natura 2000 sites is part of the procedure for obtaining an environmental permit. The route planner helps the applicants and practitioners with questions such as ‘How do I know whether a nature assessment is required?’, ‘In which phase should the ecological data be available?’ and ‘How long does the procedure take?’. There is also a tool to predict possible impacts on species and habitat types in Natura 2000 sites (but not on the integrity of the site as such). The impact indicator ‘Natura 2000 – ecological preconditions and disruptive factors’ is a tool for developers, permit providers and plan makers who have to deal with activities in or near Natura 2000 areas. The effects indicator is an instrument with which possible harmful effects as a result of the activity and plans can be explored. The effects indicator provides information about the sensitivity of species and habitat types for the most common disturbing factors. This information is generic: to determine whether an activity is harmful in practice, further research must be undertaken. The web also contains guidance on significance (2), developed in 2010, which provides advice for the assessment of the significance of impacts on Natura 2000 sites. The starting point is that if, as a result of an intervention, the surface area of habitat, number of a species or quality of a habitat will be lower than referred to in the conservation objectives, then there may be significant consequences. However, the specific characteristics of the activity or the specific circumstances of the area can make that, despite the decrease, there are no significant consequences. Detailed analysis at the site level can therefore lead to a different conclusion, which is described in the guidelines. In addition, there is a specific guidance for projects with possible nitrogen effects. For N-deposition for the Netherlands a complex system has been developed that takes into account the cumulative impacts of (only) nitrogen from different sources. On national projects, a ‘permit data bank’ provides all relevant information, the decision and since 1.1.2017 also the complete appropriate assessments for permits related to the implementation of the Nature Conservation Act.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-09-25 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.