Salt Marsh Development Marconi Delfzijl Wetlands
Port of Delfzijl, the Netherlands
At the far northeast coast of the Netherlands, in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage-listed Wadden Sea, salt marsh development has been underway since 2014 using sediment from the Port of Delfzijl and the Dollard Estuary. The overarching goal of this project is to improve a variety of natural habitats in the Delfzijl region while simultaneously contributing to the region’s economy through improved spatial quality—particularly with regard to recreation and nature viewing. Flood protection was also a high priority, as was building a connector between the city and the estuary. The salt marsh is a valuable natural area and ecosystem that also mitigates the effects of subsidence and sea level rise. This test site will provide EcoShape, the organization executing the work, with important knowledge about the successful development of natural salt marshes. The project was commissioned by the municipality of Delfzijl, and it is part of the “Marconi Buitendijks” regional development effort, which addresses a number of major issues faced by the municipality: a shrinking population, sea-level rise combined with subsidence, and the poor ecological condition of the Dollard.
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