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Building with Nature Adapt, stay safe and prosper in the Delta
November 2012
Mindert de Vries
Specialist eco-engineering at Deltares
Professor Building with Living Nature U. Applied Sciences Hogeschool Zeeland
Delta Squeeze, need solutions
•Almost all land and water is in use or is exploited
•Population is growing
•Climate change and sea level rise are causing
impacts
•Resources are increasingly scarce
Need for multifunctional solutions that
combine safety, economy and ecology
Building with Nature
concept:
use the
forces and services of the ecosystem
to
realize safety in combination
with economy and ecology
Principles of Building with Nature (R. Waterman)
Emphasis on flexible soft
structures in harmony
with the sea,
like dunes and beaches.
BWN is linked to Green Adaptation and Climate Change
Green Adaptation (EU, UNEP, FAO, WWF,
Conservation International) concepts:
• make use of ecosystem functioning to enhance safety,
food and freshwater security, and protect
livelihoods
• include and enhance ecosystem functions in a cost-
effective integrated approach to adapt to climate
threats
Marshland kwelders
Foto paesens-moddergat
Effective low cost
low tech method
produces safety
& productive habitats
& more space
Dutch historical 1000yr large scale land reclamation =
stabilize mud coast by growing saltmarshes
Frisian Wadden Sea coast
BWN stands on long term
practical understanding
of natural processes
Effective low cost
low tech method
produces safety
& valuable habitats
& more space
& drinking water
100’s km Dutch sandy coast protected long term with dunes
stabilized by vegetation
Example:
Isle of Texel
Traditional knowledge and BWN integrated to build safe
soft eco levees by reef, marsh, dune, dike combinations
Long term safety:
Marshes grow
with SLR
reefs
Marshes, mangroves
Foreshore & beach sand nourishments
Use & produce
ecosystem services
Limited wave reduction
Enhanced wave reduction
Maximized wave reduction
Vegetatie als golfremmer
Scale 500m wide
30km long
Saltmarsh grows with sea level and maintains stability and safety
Flexible, low tech, low maintenance cost, longshore connectivity Lake
IJsselmeer
Afsluitdijk
Wadden
Sea
Wave reducing
saltmarsh
Super storm
stable vegetated
dune
Example: Wadden Sea Soft Dike: saltmarsh/dune/dike combi
Existing dike
Lake IJsselmeer
Wadden Sea
Example: 2010, Ecoshape consortium: foreshore
protection with oyster reef experiment
3x 200m x 20m
Reduce erosion of intertidal flats
in Eastern Scheldt, maintain
habitats and protect the dike Eastern Scheldt
Zierikzee
Eastern Scheldt
Example: 2010, Waterboard, RWS, Deltares:
completely soft green solution replaces existing dike
Nature development with longshore connectivity and regional relevance
for recreation and as fish and bird habitat
depth and material variations
create diversity, enhanced
by natural settling and
compaction.
Amsterdam
Hoorn
80m wide, 30 km, along lake shore
Final technical design phase
Example: 2009 RfR programme Noordwaard
Wavereducing forest- soft dike combi ‘fort Steurgat’
•>70% reduction of wave height in
healthy willow forest
•Deltares/RWS design achieves
required 1/2000 safety standards and
is now under construction.
Wave reducing
willow-tree plantations
Low cost low tech
Clay dike
will be lower than
traditional design
100m wide
Example: Rich Levee Maasvlakte 2, hard structure is
optimized for habitat diversity and productivity
BWN delivers continuum of concepts and applications
Mekong Delta near Bac Lieu Vietnam
SPACE RESILIENT & SAFE
COMMUNITY
Sustained
productivity Monofunctional
safety is suboptimal
Nature
We understand muddy delta’s!
BWN
Practical solutions for Mekong?
• Principle: from unsafe levee/line to safe eco-
levee/landscape
• Merge space, nature and productivity to create
safe win-win-win solutions
• Aim for low tech, low cost, adaptable methods
• Utilize resilience, creativity and local knowledge
of communities
• Go for green adaptation by BWN!
Cooperation is the key to progress and success
www.ecoshape.nl
Many international examples in CCC book!
http://www.coastalcooperation.net/
New thinkers and do-ers: The next generation being
educated at Delta Academy in Zeeland and U. Can Tho
Integrate applied research,
training and education!
We would like to
extend this activity
in Centre of
Expertise for Mekong
BWN solutions wrap-up
• Generic and practical,
• Specific to each ecosystem and need local knowledge
• Fit within legal constraints such as EU Bird and Habitat Directive,
• Co-creation with government, ngo’s, commercial and research organizations is essential,
• Training, guidelines, online info is available
• Cost-effective in NL, and: • Mangrove planting project protects coastal populations from
storm surges in Vietnam. Project generates economic benefits that were 52 times higher than costs. (C4C)
• Financing adaptation and resilience is a cost-effective investment that can pay for itself many times over. (C4C)
C4C: Adapting for a Green Economy: Companies, Communities and Climate Change. A Caring for Climate Report. A Caring for Climate report by the United Nations Global Compact, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Oxfam, and World Resources Institute (WRI), 2011
Building with Nature projects overview
2009
2008
2007
USA
Singapore
The Netherlands are leading
in BWN applied for
safety against flooding
2010
2011-12
Vietnam
Oysterreefs
Forest-dike
combi
Soft green dike
Wadden Sea marsh dune dike
Frisian salt marshes
Sand Engine
