The Netherlands has 20 national parks and hundreds of other nature reserves. Most are owned by Staatsbosbeheer and Natuurmonumenten and include lakes, heathland, woods, dunes and other habitats.Phytogeographically, the Netherlands are shared between the Atlantic European and Central European provinces of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF, the territory of the Netherlands belongs to the ecoregion of Atlantic mixed forests. In 1871 the last old original natural woods (Beekbergerwoud) were cut down and most woods today are planted monocultures of trees like Scots Pine and trees that are not native to the Netherlands.
National parks in the Netherlands were defined in the 1960s as areas of at least 10 km², consisting of natural terrains, water and/or forests, with a special landscape and flora and fauna. There are good possibilities for recreative use. In the national parks, nature care and nature development is intensified, nature and environmental education, nature oriented recreation and research are stimulated." The first two national parks were founded in the 1930s by private organisations. The first official national park, on Schiermonnikoog, was however not established until 1989. The twentieth and last national park is the De Alde Feanen National Park that was established in April 2006.
Netherlands national parks
Lauwersmeer National Park, Groningen, Friesland
Schiermonnikoog National Park, Friesland
De Alde Feanen National Park, Friesland
Drents-Friese Wold National Park, Drenthe, Friesland
Dwingelderveld National Park, Drenthe
Drentsche Aa National Landscape, Drenthe
De Weerribben National Park, Overijssel
Sallandse Heuvelrug National, Park Overijssel
Veluwezoom National Park, Gelderland
Hoge Veluwe National Park, Gelderland
Utrechtse Heuvelrug National, Park Utrecht
Dunes of Texel National Park, North Holland
Zuid-Kennemerland National Park, North Holland
Oosterschelde National Park Zeeland,
De Biesbosch National Park North Brabant, South Holland
De Zoom - Kalmthoutse Heide Cross-Border Park North Brabant, Antwerp (Belgium)
De Loonse en Drunense Duinen National Park, North Brabant
De Groote Peel National Park, Limburg, North Brabant
De Maasduinen National Park, Limburg
De Meinweg National Park, Limburg
