Coastal management in The Netherlands

Coastal Management in the NetherlandsFour decades of learning

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Why are we here?

’70s

escarpments,erosion

’70s

Narrowbeaches

’80s

’80s

1990

Marram grass, reed and willowbranches

Foreshore nourishment

Beach nourishment

Why manage? safety standards for floodprotection

<-100m ->

Dunereinforcement

Reference coastline (1990)

• Sand nourishments on beach and foreshore

• Adding a lot of sand to achieve a dynamic equilibrium

• Coastline retreat was stopped

• Further loss of land prevented.

• Morphological changes: foredune development, locallynarrow beaches due to dune growth

• Difficult to manage,

Local blowout at Wassenaar : monitoring morphological changes

Present day

Present day

Present day

Present day

• Less storm damage (fewer storms?)

• Predominantly limited to foredunes

• System (sand volumes) restores itself -> cheap, but unpredictable and difficult tot manage

• Will it last?

• can we benefit even more from the dynamic processes?

• How does it really work?