1.4.2 International policies

The Dutch policy on agriculture, nature and food quality is also shaped by agreements made at the international and European level. The Netherlands has signed several international treaties on, for instance, nature policy. The Ministry of LNV is required to observe the ensuing agreements, such as those on tropical rainforests, biodiversity and protected animal and plant species.

The Dutch policy on these themes is largely derived from the Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fisheries Policy of the EU. Within the global framework, policy priorities are the RAMSAR Convention on Wetlands, integrated water management, coastal zone management and the implementation of the environmental Antarctic Treaty (1991). Further, the Dutch government intends to stimulate international cooperation through different institutions such as the UNEP, UNESCO, IUCN and others.

Biodiversity

As a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Netherlands has undertaken to implement its resolutions. The results can be seen in its policies for nature, agriculture, environment, fishing, spatial planning, infrastructure, water management, economic activities and development cooperation. The division of tasks between the different ministries is as follows:

The principles of the CBD have been integrated into Dutch policy by the respective ministries in four national policy documents, each of which contains an explicit international component.

In the policy document ‘Nature for People, People for Nature’ (2000) the Netherlands resolves to work towards international cooperation that will lead to a structural reversal of the worldwide loss of biodiversity. The Netherlands focuses its efforts on the protection of ecosystems and landscapes of international value, and on the promotion of the sustainable use of biodiversity in economic sectors such as forestry, agriculture, fisheries, tourism and trade, and in development cooperation. Special attention is given to agro-biodiversity, forests, wetlands, oceans and coastal areas.

Many environmental problems such as climate change, the erosion of biodiversity and the over-exploitation of natural resources transcend national boundaries. By 2030, the NEPP4 aims to achieve sustainable production and consumption while preserving biodiversity. This demands a long-term and radical process of change: a transition to sustainable use of biodiversity and natural resources. The Government Position Paper on Tropical Rainforests (RTR, 1991) remains in force. Dutch international forest policy is geared towards protecting old-growth forests as much as possible and managing and exploiting the tropical rainforest in such a way that its conservation is guaranteed.

In the Fourth National Policy Document on Water (1998), the Dutch Government aims to develop sustainable water systems. It pays special attention to structuring the expertise offered by the Dutch water management sector in foreign countries. This is developed in more detail in the programme ‘Partners for Water’.

The International Biodiversity Policy Programme (BBI) now brings these policy plans together and provides a total overview of what the Netherlands has resolved to do in this area. The BBI is therefore the logical successor to the international nature management programme (PIN), which ran from 1996 to 2000. In principle, the BBI will run from 2002 to 2006. Many of the policy objectives are long-term and will not be completed until 2020 or later; they will therefore remain on the Dutch policy agenda after 2006. For the purpose of subsidy schemes for nature projects in Central and Eastern Europe, the Government has issued a separate Central and Eastern European Action Plan, which should become part of the BBI.

NGOs play an essential role in problem identification and policy formulation, as well as in the implementation phases. The broad knowledge basis and the network of NGOs can be very important in the implementation of Dutch policy. Therefore, NGOs are expected to take a continually active role, in which they pay more attention than ever before to the formulation of national contributions to policy implementation (development of sets of instruments such as certification) and the incorporation of individual projects in broader programmes.

back | to top