For centuries, the Dutch have been good at keeping the water out using increasingly engineered structures of concrete and steel like the Delta Works. And for years, they’ve exported that technology too.
But times are changing. Macho dikes keep the water out, but they’re terrible for nature and biodiversity. The Dutch are - slowly - discovering that you can work with nature rather than against it. It’s called Nature Based Solutions and they work - in the Netherlands, in Ghana, basically everywhere. And that is why this week’s show is called: Let Nature Do It!
We speak with Bregje van Wesenbeeck, who is experimenting with willows and mangroves to see how they stand up to storms. Carel Nobbe of the Blue Deal says: first you have to make sure the people you’re working with are on board. Wetlands ecologist Emmanuel Nii Attram Taye from Ghana is working to save the mangrove forests that protect the coast. For the Netherlands, says Alex Hekman of NL2120, it’s both: Nature-based Solutions are essential, but always in combination with hard infrastructure.
BREGJE VAN WESENBEECK & DELTARES
CAREL NOBBE AND THE BLUE DEAL
EMMANUEL NII ATTRAM TAYE AND THE CENTRE FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION RESEARCH
ALEX HEKMAN AND NL2020