Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. The increasing frequency of extreme weather events, such as heavy rainfall and prolonged periods of drought, threatens not only our ecosystems but also our infrastructure and living environment. The Netherlands, a country with a long history of battling against water, is facing a unique challenge. Traditional methods of strengthening dikes are being reconsidered because of these changing circumstances. A new approach is needed that integrates sustainability and working with nature to ensure a resilient future. Faced with managing many kilometres of waterways, HDSR has big ambitions for nature restoration. Together with Iv and The Weather Makers, HDSR is taking new steps to ensure water safety and make a real difference.
The District Water Control Board De Stichtse Rijnlanden (HDSR) plays a crucial role in the management of water safety in the central part of the Netherlands. The water board has high ambitions to find innovative and sustainable solutions to the growing challenges posed by climate change. HDSR has entered into a long-term framework agreement with Iv to address this. Sustainability is an important theme here that is not only focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions but also on preserving and strengthening nature. Natural ecosystems play a crucial role in absorbing greenhouse gases and restoring the balance in our environment. Solutions should be developed in partnership with nature rather than limiting nature through urbanisation and social development. With more innovative solutions that focus on restoring nature and ecosystems, we help to reduce the likelihood of accelerated climate change. “At HDSR, we recognise that we need to work with all parties in the chain that are advising us to make real progress. The challenges of today, in terms of sustainability, water safety and salinisation, sometimes require a different approach than the traditional one,” says Dirk Jan Zwezerijn, contract manager at HDSR. Seeking ‘nature-based’ solutions increases the chances that ecosystems that are under pressure – or have even partially disappeared – can recover. Nature-based solutions can also further strengthen ecosystems that are still intact.
Iv is playing a leading role in this framework agreement and aims to be the connecting force that links its water safety knowledge with sustainability expertise. Pooling specialist knowledge and expertise from different fields is crucial to finding innovative and workable solutions to this complex problem. Iv has therefore started a collaboration with The Weather Makers (TWM). This collaboration should contribute to the accelerated achievement of HDSR’s sustainability objectives and ambitions.
Rick van der Meijs, water safety project leader at Iv, highlights the complexity of delivering these solutions. “Despite the right ambitions and awareness of the need to apply sustainable solutions, the cost of sustainable solutions compared to traditional solutions remains the most important criterion. This is not so much because of the solution itself but mainly because of the extra space required to implement these solutions or because the required management and maintenance need to be organised differently. The extra space has to be purchased or compensated for. These types of solutions quickly become expensive compared to traditional solutions that fit within the existing space requirements.”
In the Netherlands, there is little space for the various functions that the soil body of a flood defence has: flood defence, road infrastructure, cables and pipes, nature networks, recreation, cycling and walking routes, and construction on or alongside the dike. All these interests play a role. Rick: “The challenge is often that we would like to use more sustainable solutions, but this comes at the expense of other functions of a dike, causing resistance or requiring a higher budget.”
TWM focuses on restoring water cycles to tackle ecological and social challenges. Their approach combines ecosystem planning, engineering and innovative management strategies. By working with research institutions and using the Eco Oasis Lab, TWM develops nature-based solutions for land and water areas. Of great value in this process is TWM’s ability to quantify ecological parameters, allowing objectives to be made concrete. For example, it may be possible to demonstrate that the habitat of a particular species can be improved by 25% by applying specific solutions. In this way, innovative and sustainable solutions can be developed that harness the power of nature.
Together with TWM and HDSR, Iv recently organised a meeting for the HDSR Flood Defence Programme (Waterkeringenprogramma). This day served as a source of inspiration for linking ecological restoration to plots and investigating how nature-based solutions can be better implemented compared to traditional methods. Various options were discussed during the meeting, including proposals such as implementing a nature-friendly embankment. Increasing the area of nature-friendly embankments and improving the design of existing embankments offers significant opportunities for ecological restoration and biodiversity. Discussing the various options made it clear that this approach could be achievable.
The meeting in the Eco Oasis Lab was a nice aspect of the day. Ties van der Hoeven, founder and creative director of The Weather Makers, describes it as a ‘jungle bowl’. The Eco Oasis Lab demonstrates the water cycle and how water connects different parts of an ecosystem. The lab demonstrates how a robust system can be built and monitored and highlights the valuable insights that can be gained.
“An interesting dynamic becomes apparent if you compare nature with our society. In society, we try to do everything very efficiently, while nature does the opposite,” says Ties. He continued with an inspiring thought: “We have to give nature a chance again. It’s comforting to see, when all you hear is that everything is going downhill, how powerful nature is in rebuilding itself.”
The collaboration with TWM and the use of their eco lab are therefore crucial to substantiating the effectiveness and feasibility of these solutions. “The Eco Oasis Lab allows us to demonstrate the impact of our nature-based solutions scientifically,” Rick emphasises. “This is essential to generate support and funding for these projects.”
Dirk: “The meeting provided a lot of inspiration and reinforced the idea that we need to experience applications step by step in practice. As a result, HDSR has assigned to Iv and TWM a project to create nature-friendly embankments to increase the impact these embankments have and lay the foundations for future projects.” Iv and TWM are helping HDSR realise its sustainability goals and seize opportunities for more natural design in current and future projects. With this new knowledge and inspiration, HDSR is determined to use these insights in future projects and thus further strengthen our natural environment.
Wouter, managing director Infra and also COO of Iv, would be delighted to discuss this with you! Get in touch via +31 88 943 3200 or send a message.