Vraag 2 | Nature itself can save us from the nitrogen crisis, but how? (Dutch Spoken)
The Netherlands needs to emit much less nitrogen to protect its nature. At the same time, farmers must be able to farm and builders must be able to build. Nature itself can save us from the nitrogen crisis, but how? Biogeographer Kenneth Rijsdijk tells about it in our latest episode of Vraag 2 on Spotify.
In this episode of Vraag 2, Jip Koene pays a visit to biogeographer Kenneth Rijsdijk at IBED, the Insitute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem dynamics. Rijsdijk thinks hedges and tree lines could play an important role in the nitrogen crisis.
‘Nature is capable of neutralising nitrogen through a process called phytoremediation,’ says Rijsdijk. ‘Harmful nitrogen particles from the air then stick to the leaves of hedges and trees where bacteria convert it to useful substances for the plant.’
Rijsdijk hopes that landscape elements such as kilometres of hedges and tree lines will be returned to the situation before the industrial revolution. ‘Hedges and trees around a farm break the wind, causing a lot of nitrogen to settle on the farmer’s land and be absorbed by the surrounding vegetation,’ says Rijsdijk. ‘With hedges, you not only bring down the nitrogen in the air, but they are also important for biodiversity.’
Listen to our latest podcast episode on how hedges can help us out of the nitrogen crisis on Spotify.
Production & presentation: Jip Koene
Final editing: Irene Schoenmacker
Music: Paolo Argento
