In the latest edition of their Terra et Aqua magazine, the International Association of Dredging Companies (IADC) put a special spotlight on one of the largest nature restoration projects in Western Europe – the Marker Wadden .
In April 2016, Boskalis began construction on one of the largest nature restoration projects in Western Europe which is first and foremost a bird paradise.
The Marker Wadden consists of a 1,000-hectare landscape above and below the waterline, multiple rows of dunes, and a 1500-meter trench to collect fine silt from Lake Markermeer.
The project has been a long-cherished dream of the project’s client, Natuurmonumenten, and forms a nature reservation which allows for natural processes as much as possible.
The contractor and the client were both well aware that control of nature and natural processes are often limited, and the challenges that this limited control posed were not only solved technically but were also solved due to the good collaboration between both parties.
This article describes some of these unique challenges and how they were solved. The main technical breakthrough is the use of soft mud and fine sediment as a core building material.