Ecological Compensation in Dutch Highway Planning |
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Authors: | RUUD CUPERUS MARCO MGJ BAKERMANS HELIAS A UDO DE HAES KEES J CANTERS |
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Institution: | (1) Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, Directorate-General of Public Works and Water Management, Road and Hydraulic Engineering Division, P.O. Box 5044, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands, NL;(2) Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, Directorate-General of Public Works and Water Management, Noord-Brabant Directorate, P.O. Box 90157, 5200 MJ's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, NL;(3) Leiden University, Centre of Environmental Science, P.O. Box 9518, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands, NL;(4) Delft University, Faculty of Architecture, Urban Design & Environment, P.O. Box 5043, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands, NL |
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Abstract: | The ecological compensation principle was introduced by the Dutch government in 1993. This principle is designed to enhance
the input of nature conservation interests in decision-making on large-scale development projects and to counterbalance the
ecological impacts of such developments when implemented. This article evaluates the application of the Dutch compensation
principle in highway planning. Six current highway projects reveal consistent implementation of this principle, although provincial
policies on compensation and a national method for identifying compensation measures are still under development. As the planning
process has not yet been completed for all the projects, no general conclusions can be drawn on the impact of the compensation
principle on highway decision-making. Nevertheless, several examples show that the principle stimulates project initiators
to develop alternative routes or route sections in order to avoid or reduce ecological impacts and the need for coherent compensation
measures. If the compensation principle is to be properly implemented in the context of highway planning, particular attention
should be paid to the following aspects: (1) sequential assessment of overall project legitimacy and the necessity of intersecting
protected areas and compensation measures, (2) the initiator's attempts to avoid and mitigate ecological impacts in developing
alternative routes prior to compensation for impacts, and (3) the role of uncertain ecological impacts in identifying compensation
measures, especially those concerning habitat isolation. |
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Keywords: | : Decision-making procedure Alternative routes Nature Policy Legislation Instruments Costs |
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