Reduction in nitrogen deposition leads to biodiversity recovery

In the meadows around Wageningen, which have been the subject of intensive research since the 1950s, plant diversity declined sharply between 1950 and 1990. This coincided with a sharp increase in nitrogen deposition attributed to developments in agriculture and road traffic. From 1990, nitrogen deposition decreased and biodiversity gradually recovered. After 2010, nitrogen deposition did not decline any further and the restoration of botanical diversity also stagnated in Wageningen’s meadows.