Dossier
Building with Nature
Building with nature is a concept where nature is used to cope with climate change risks, such as floods, waves and sea level rise. It is also called 'nature-based solutions' or 'eco-engineering'. In this dossier you can find news, background information and results from scientists of Wageningen University & Research.
An oyster reef to protect the coast, mangroves or willows in front of the dyke. Slowly but surely, a new insight is gaining ground: hard civil engineering interventions by themselves are not a panacea. Nature seems willing to help us keep the upper hand over the advancing waves and rising sea levels and provides us with new sources of food and income.
Water engineering projects have become a lot greener, and Wageningen has played an important role in this. Together with the water engineering sector, we are developing water works that leave natural processes intact or make them part of the solution. There could even be restoration of the natural environment.
Go to
- The Netherlands in 2120: Imagine what the world could look like if we start shaping it from a nature-based perspective today?
- Salt marshes: natural surge barriers in front of the dike
- Sand nourishment: a solution for ‘sand starvation’
- Room for the river in densely populated areas
Research on building with nature
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TMAP Salt marshes
One of the ecological objectives for the Wadden Sea, both at national and at trilateral (i.e. Dutch, German and Danish) level, is to maximise the area... -
Baalhoek & Knuitershoek
The Province of Zeeland (PZ) wants to create a low dynamic intertidal area at Baalhoek and Knuitershoek in the Westerschelde as part of the... -
NKWK nuttig gebruik slib Eems-Dollard
In the Knowledge and Innovation Agenda for Delta Technology 2018-2021, the sustainable use of estuaries, seas and oceans is one important theme. The... -
PASMI & BwN-Indonesia
Sustainable aquaculture to support mangrove restoration.
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Building with Nature along a tropical muddy coast in Indonesia: innovation in mangrove restoration
While mangrove restoration and mitigation has become very popular worldwide as a method to restore coastal resilience and ecosystem functioning, high...
News on building with nature
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Research on ecological effects of sand extraction granted in NWA ORC-call
- A study on ecologically optimising sand extraction in the North Sea has been accepted within the National Science Agenda. The study aims to keep the... -
Ecologically sustainable sand extraction in the North Sea
- To protect the Dutch coast from rising sea levels, the coastline is strengthened and widened with sand. This is urgently needed, but also has negative...
Downloads & Links
- "Weaving dams to defend mangroves", Wageningen World no. 1 2017
- Article online: Nature lends a hand from Wageningen World no. 2 2013
- Flyer: Building with Nature
- Website: EcoShape – Building with Nature
- "Building with Nature gebruikt de natuur bij waterbouw"
Publications on building with nature
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The impact of mangroves in small-holder shrimp ponds in south-west Bangladesh on productivity and economic and environmental resilience
Aquaculture (2023), Volume: 571 - ISSN 0044-8486 -
Applicability of the gape monitor to study flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) feeding behaviour
Aquatic Living Resources (2023), Volume: 36, Issue: 6 - ISSN 0990-7440 -
Effectiveness of community-based mangrove management for coastal protection : A case study from Central Java, Indonesia
Ocean and Coastal Management (2023), Volume: 238 - ISSN 0964-5691 -
Applicability of the gape monitor to study flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) feeding behaviour
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Data & Scripts underlying the publication: Can we enhance ecosystem-based coastal defense by connecting oysters to marsh edges? Analyzing the limits of oyster reef establishment
: Utrecht University -
Building with Nature - Pilot Kleirijperij : Effecten van biologische bewerkingsmethoden op het rijpen van klei
Den Helder : Wageningen Marine Research (Wageningen Marine Research rapport C058/22) - p. -
Into uncharted territories – Subsidence along Africa’s Gulf of Guinea coast?
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Seagrass as bioindicator for eutrophication and pollution in the coastal bays of Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands
: Wageningen Marine Research - p. -
Options for mangrove-friendly alternativelivelihoods in the mangrove ecosystem (Opsi Mata Pencaharian Alternatif di Ekosistem Mangrove yang RamahLinggunkan)
IJmuiden : Wageningen Marine Research (Wageningen Marine Research report C075/22) - p. -
Identifying trait-based tolerance to sediment dynamics during seedling establishment across eight mangrove species
Limnology and Oceanography 67 (2022)10. - ISSN 0024-3590 - p. 2281 - 2295.
Related dossiers
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The Netherlands in 2120
Climate change, urbanisation, biodiversity, rising sea levels, extreme weather and increasing food production: these are just a few of the factors... -
Flooding
The amount of extreme rainfall and its severity is increasing in the Netherlands and Western Europe. What is the reason for this and what can we do to...