International obligations help to protect Natura 2000 areas.

The Natura 2000 network includes the conservation areas designated under the Birds Directive and Habitats Directive. In 2003 the European Commission approved the revised notification of Habitats Directive areas in the Netherlands, making the Netherlands the first country to complete its notification. The protected areas constitute mainly the major water bodies: the surface area of inland waters and the North Sea that has been notified is 720,000 acres. In total, about 10% of the land area of the Netherlands has been notified as a conservation area under the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive (‘the BHD area’).

Protection of these areas is necessary for the long-term conservation of species. In the Birds Directive areas most of the resident bird species and winter visitors for which the areas have been notified are stable or increasing in number; however, about a quarter of these species are declining in numbers. The population sizes of about half the species for which areas have been designated under the Habitats Directive are also declining. The protection of these areas against physical disturbance will be incorporated into Dutch law in the revised Nature Protection Act. Under the Water Framework Directive, all water and wetland habitats protected under the Birds Directive and Habitats Directive must have attained "good ecological status" by 2015 . This may be postponed if natural conditions make 2015 an impossible target, for example, because the natural system needs more time to recover.