Man-Made Islands in the Markermeer, NL: Innovating for Ecosystem Protection

A few months ago, as I came across the Binnenhof, the Inner Court, on a tour in the Hague, I learned that the king of the Netherlands has a secondary official profession as a water manager. This is how I realized how significant water management is considered in Dutch society.

For hundreds of years, the Dutch have developed a level of expertise comparable to no other country in management and planning to fight back the water. This enabled the nation to develop productive agricultural land and eventually keep millions out of harm's way, especially upon rapid urbanization in and around the coastal provinces. But this path dependency of confidence in man-made solutions has also led to mistakes, in which urban development was preferenced over ecological wellbeing and natural water flows.

An example of this is the damming of a large body of water between the provinces of North Holland and Flevoland, which are slightly north of the Amsterdam metropolitan area. The large lake is known as the Markermeer. In fact, the Markermeer has been artificially created as a result of its splitting from the Ijsselmeer to the north around a century ago. What this has led to is the gradual sedimentation in the body of water, leading to such a severe turbidity level that species loss of invertebrates,  fish, and migratory birds has ensued. While we usually hear of Dutch success stories, the Markermeer's decline indicates some of the issues with top-down, infrastructural development approaches to planning and management of water resources.

This map depicts the presence of two dams which closed off the water body from the sea and split it in half. Image Source: http://www.dutchwatersector.com/

In order to undo a history of deterioration and neglect, a governance-based collaboration has emerged, in the form of a joint venture between the national water management agency, Rijkswaterstaat, and a nature protection civil organization, Natuurmonumenten. It resembles an increasing trend of interdisciplinary, horizontal collaboration in resource management in the Netherlands and much of Europe. This partnership has culminated into an innovative vision for the Markermeer, through a building project in which silt from the sedimentation would be gathered, consolidated and solidified to construct multiple islands. Eventually, these islands could become part of a larger archipelago that could evolve through processes of natural succession into habitat for birds, fish, and invertebrate. At face value, it appears as a win-win situation, with much emphasis placed on ecological restoration and nature's needs.

The goal is for the Markerwadden to be host to a number of migratory birds and aquatic species
Image Source: http://boskalis.com/ 

The first island of the archipelago is being constructed, ahead of schedule and under budget. 

Nonetheless, the ease of collaboration in the project could be taken for granted. Could interdisciplinarity lead to future disagreements on priority decision-making? Do the construction managers have the technical expertise, given this has never been done before in the Netherlands? Will the islands draw much tourism in the future compromising the needs of species and therefore, affecting  biodiversity? All of these questions still have to be answered.