The Creek, the Monk and the crescent Moon
The walking sand dunes of the Netherlands
In a groundbreaking form of coastal management, the Dutch dig holes into their sand dunes — inviting wind and water to reshape the landscape. This approach not only boosts biodiversity but allows the sand to shift inland, and let the dunes "walk" inland, growing stronger with each tide — a living defense against the rising sea.
Volkskrant Magazine article
The Dutch coastline is dynamic. For centuries, the dunes have been ‘walking’ through the landscape. Since the Netherlands is largely located below sea level the Dutch stopped the sand from shifting to protect the land from the sea. But with fixating the dunes the natural growth of the dunes stopped and a unique eco system disappeared. This is the reason that the dunes are now allowed to ‘walk’ again. An innovative and new approach in which Dutch coastal management is no longer static, but dynamic. Scientists confirm that by allowing natural processes to run free, biodiversity increases and the dunes can grow with rising sea levels.