Climate change accelerates sea level rise, intensifies storm regimes, and increases coastal erosion across Europe. At the same time, biodiversity is under pressure and natural landscapes are increasingly scarce, Jan De Nul said.
“ The need for coastal infrastructure that both protects our shores and enhances biodiversity has become urgent. That is why we developed a blueprint for hybrid dune-dike solutions: coastal protection systems that combine reliable man-made structures with dynamic, natural dune landscapes ,” Jan De Nul said .
Hybrid dune-dike solutions are coastal protection structures that combine natural sand dunes with engineered dikes to protect shorelines from flooding and storm surges.
“ They protect our shores and enhance our nature. While they are increasingly recognized for their potential, dune-dike solutions are still rare, and few exist on a large scale ,” the company added.
In the Netherlands, the Prince Hendrik Sand Dike is a well-known example.
“ To protect the island Texel in the Wadden Sea against storms and floods, we provided a solution that incorporates both nature and tourism: a new dune landscape against the old dike and a salt marsh landscape on the seaside ,” the company said.
This makes the transition between water and land natural again and protects the island for decades to come, Jan De Nul concluded.