Over the past decades, there has been a growing interest in exploring innovative ways to minimise the environmental footprint of coastal developments and in nature-based approaches for shoreline protection. At Mubarraz Island near Abu Dhabi (UAE), an international oil company beneficially reused ~12 million m³ of dredged material to protect pipelines, construct a causeway and create mangrove habitat to manage coastal erosion. This ‘Working with Nature’ approach has provided a cost-effective nature-based solution for shoreline protection, with added benefits for biodiversity conservation.

At Deltares in the Netherlands, a research team is developing a portfolio of technologies dedicated to the management of the finest and most challenging fraction of soft sediments. These technologies may unambiguously be called nature based because they make use of natural processes to enhance dewatering and strengthening, induce flocculation and the settling of fines, and protect the muddy bed from erosion.

Managing sediments, especially from dredging, is important for the management of estuaries and coastal areas. When implemented in the right way, a sediment management strategy can be qualified as a nature-based solution as it uses the physical processes of erosion and sedimentation to create added value. There is a need for an evaluation of sediment strategies and the habitats that are created for a wider range of objectives than only biodiversity and nature conservation. The concept of ecosystem services provides this broader framework.

At present too little use is made of the opportunities that the design and construction of land reclamation offer for the underground storage and recovery of fresh water. The managed aquifer recharge systems in the coastal dunes of the Netherlands are a good example of successful subsurface water storage. And it is to be expected that the sandy deposits of land reclamations could serve a similar purpose. This in turn will contribute to a sustainable development of land reclamations.

‘Water is more than a toilet, tap, dam, dyke or levee, it's an enabler.’

Dredging is essential for the maintenance and development of ports, harbours and waterways to allow for safe navigation, remediation and flood management. The process, which relocates large volumes of sediment, can be accompanied by the release of suspended sediments into the water column referred to as sediment plumes.

Can nature-based solutions be mainstream solutions? Nature-based solutions have obvious advantages but have not been embraced at wider scale. The barriers which can hinder wide-scale application and the topic’s relevance to the dredging community are discussed.

The Bacton Sandscaping scheme is a large-scale beach nourishment designed to protect the Bacton Gas Terminal from cliff and beach erosion while also reducing flood and erosion risk to the communities of Bacton and Walcott, buying the time they need for adaptation to coastal change.

This study examines which and, if possible, how much more ecosystem services are provided by the most recent nature inspired coastal protection project Prins Hendrik Zanddijk, in comparison with a traditional concrete and asphalt construction.

After 30 years at Witteveen+Bos, Henk Nieboer has moved on from the engineering and consultancy firm to focus his expertise into his current roles as director of EcoShape and founder of Adaelta.

CEDA’s Working Group on Beneficial Use aims to inspire sediment stakeholders and practitioners by describing the importance of sediments in the context of sustainable development and sharing a curated selection of case studies.

Following the Building with Nature concept, a pilot study was conducted introducing finegrained dredged sediments as a semicontinuous source of mud into a shallow tidal channel, naturally dispersing sediment to nearby mudflats and salt marshes.

In collaboration with the Natuurmonumenten (the Dutch Society for the Preservation of Nature), Boskalis constructed the Marker Wadden. The archipelago situated within the Markermeer enables processes which revitalise the natural ecology.

Popular instruments in the field, optical backscatter instruments (OBS) are used to measure suspended sediments. The sensitivity of OBS measurements in relation to grain size and the applicability of OBS measurements in mixed sediment environments is analysed.

Ecologist Patrick Meire has been researching the Scheldt for decades in the hope of implementing solutions which undo the damage caused by humans, industry and natural processes.

To connect Scandinavia with Germany, the world’s longest immersed tunnel will be built. The Fehmarnbelt will close a major gap in the European transport network while fostering the development of new nature and recreational landscapes.

Dredging activities often result in the suspension of sediment into the water column in the vicinity of the activity. Sediment release to the aquatic environment and the effects of this release are often the prime environmental concern associated with dredging.

Randle Reef at Hamilton Harbour, an Area of Concern (AOC), is the largest site in Canada contaminated with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). A collaboration of municipal and federal entities is working on remediation measures.

ReefGuard, a mobile coral breeding facility provides a highly controlled environment to aid in integrating the breeding and outplanting of corals. This article gives a detailed look into how proven small-scale coral breeding techniques can be scaled-up and applied in practice to promote environmental gain around marine infrastructure projects.

The sediments in Valdemarsviken fjord in Sweden were contaminated with chromium from the discharge of untreated wastewater from tannery operations decades ago. The contaminated sediments were dredged, dewatered, solidified and placed as a engineered fill in a nearshore area.

Maintenance dredging is required in many estuaries worldwide to provide access to ports and inland waterways. A newly developed dredging module is able to capture the two fundamental processes necessary to model the long-term impacts of dredging on turbidity.

Building with Nature is an innovative approach that combines natural processes with innovative engineering methods to realise sustainable projects. Permeable dams are being utilised as part of a Building with Nature solution to help restore the eroding mangrove-mud coast of the Demak district in central Java, Indonesia.

Underwater sound from anthropogenic sources and its potential adverse effects on the marine environment is a topic of much global interest. This article gives an overview of known sound source levels for various dredging equipment and activities and describes a method used to extrapolate source levels.

A case study of a tidal marsh restoration project at the Polders of Kruibeke in Belgium shows how an Ecosystem Services assessment can reveal otherwise hidden benefits.

As mounds of dredged material placed upriver are dispersed by the river’s current, an island with enriched wildlife has emerged.

Revitalising and redesigning inland water transportation routes and recreational waterfronts transforms them into vital and viable economic and social engines.

Marine fauna is sensitive to underwater dredging sounds. Scientific research indicates that inducing the fauna to leave an area temporarily before the start of a project minimises serious impacts. And the marine life returns when the dredging is finished.

How to protect the environment of the Texas Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and preserve a crucial economic link as well.

Reducing the carbon footprint of dredging operations is a major industry concern – and the solution starts with the design phase and continues through the whole lifecycle.

With dredging responsibility for 11 municipalities along the environmentally sensitive Tagus estuary, the Port Authority of Lisbon needed an integrated strategic dredging plan. After detailed studies, they got it.

Is it possible for an in-site disposal area to be environmentally and economically preferable to an offshore disposal site? Real-time monitoring says yes, there are numerous benefits to the disposal of dredged material in-site.

To realise a state-of-the-art cruise terminal, a comprehensive environmental mitigation plan relocated some 150,000 soft and hard coral, sponges and numerous sea urchins, sea cucumbers, hermit crabs, conchs, sea stars and lobsters.

The Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link connecting Scandinavia and continental Europe will most likely become a tunnel rather than a bridge, but how it will be dredged is still to be determined.

Worldwide the total area of tidal flats is decreasing as a result of sea level rise, subsidence by gas extraction and erosion initiated by artificial constructions. This IADC Award winning paper examines whether nourishment programmes might be part of the solution.

Dredging for a new port complex in a remarkable, protected marine environment required adherence to very specific thresholds and an intensive Environmental Management Plan (EMP) that included mobile monitoring as well as daily visual observations of turbidity levels around the dredging works and the disposal zone.

Models created by researchers using innovative software have been tested and validated by monitoring trailers during dredging operations.

Decision-making for infrastructure depends on a mix of local culture, the political situation and uncertainties related to the project’s complexity. To explain the process of gaining the confidence of stakeholders, two cases of “Building with Nature” in the Netherlands are presented.

The Stanford University Policy and Engineering Responses to Sea Level Rise (SUPERSLR) project is examining various solutions and the constraints for worldwide ports which could face the challenges of sea-level rise all at roughly the same time.

A state-of-the-art 3D plume model, used at the Ras Laffan Port Expansion project, simulates alternative disposal scenarios and helps develop Safe Disposal Maps.

What is economically and environmentally better: obtaining sand for beach nourishment from an on-land quarry or from marine banks at sea?

EU environmental law and international conventions are not always compatible. The European Dredging Association makes its case on when and why dredged material should not be considered waste.

This article covers the initial environmental examination and the development of mitigation measures against adverse impacts of physical works. Detailed investigations of water and groundwater, and sediment and soils support the assessment, backed by field surveys.

There are two types of driving force that urge us to assess the effects of dredge-generated plumes, a genuine concern for the environment and the regulations that forbid us to dredge unless we can demonstrate that harm will not be caused to the environment.

The Niger Delta is located in the southern part of Nigeria bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It is a floodplain of over 70,000 sq km. The delta is poorly serviced by roads and is made up of meandering creeks that are highly silted up.

To be successful, a modern port must pay attention to the public's justifiable concerns about environment.

"Coevolution" and the "Triple P Performance" principle are applied as guidelines for modern companies - including the dredging industry - to create legitimacy for growth.

In this new study, Cochin, the second largest harbour on the west coast of India, is thoroughly examined for environmental impacts during and after dredging.

The winner of the 1996 IADC Award, this paper describes one of the recent dredging techniques tested on the Ketelmeer and now being used in the Port of Nieuwpoort, Belgium.

Two main classes of pollutants, heavy metals and organic micropollutants, are evaluated to determine the extent of environmental risks when dredging and how these can be controlled.

“Facts About Turbidity & Dredging” describes the characteristics of turbidity and the importance of measuring and monitoring turbidity during dredging.

The Fact Sheet "Environmental Monitoring” describes the methods used to alert dredging contractors to environmental impacts so they can be addressed quickly.

“Facts About Ecosystem Services & Dredging” describes how the value attributed to ecosystems and to dredging projects can be compared and evaluated.

“Facts About Dredging Management Practices for the Environment” describes how to create management guidance for improving environmental performance.

“Facts About Dredging for Sustainable Deltas” describes the importance of deltas as population hubs for trade and their added vulnerability as sea levels rise.

“Facts About Adaptive Management” describes how monitoring at intervals during a project supports decision-making process to modify operations as needed.

The book Dredging for Sustainable Infrastructure gives state-of-the-art guidance on how to design, implement and manage a water infrastructure project with a dredging component.

The report provides the general concept of ecosystem services and the overall considerations on its use in the context of dredging projects.

A concise overview of dredging’s effects on the environment, aimed at a broad audience.

Various risk-based methods are used to assess environmental impacts from dredging and dredged material management activities.

Information and recommendations regarding Confined Disposal Facilities, including the management of contaminated dredged materials.

A concise guide to support and explain the management of dredged material.

During planning, design and operations of port development, these economically and socially sound actions can minimise impacts on the coastal zone.

This book is out of print and has been replaced with an updated book. To read more about Dredging for Sustainable Infrastructure, click here.

Through his presentation “Climate change: business challenges and opportunities of dredging”, Serge addressed innovations which deal with the obstacles of energy transition, climate change effects, population growth, resource depletion, loss of biodiversity, pollution.

This video relates to the Terra et Aqua article: 'FaunaGuard: a scientific method for deterring marine fauna'. Please use the following link to download the article: http://www.iadc-dredging.com/227/terra-et-aqua/issue?id=153?id=153 Publishe

Because dredging projects impact a wide variety of stakeholders, a fundamental knowledge of the interaction of ecology and dredging is to everyone’s benefit.