In December 2021, we completed a Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) for the Hondsbossche Dunes, a nature-based coastal protection solution in the Netherlands. Before the construction of the dunes, the section of the sea dike at that location no longer met Dutch flood safety standards. Instead of raising the dike, an artificial beach and dune landscape stretching seven kilometers was built on the seaside of the existing seawall.
Working with the International Association of Dredging Companies (IADC), we analyzed the project, in which dredging companies Van Oord and Boskalis construct and maintain the Hondsbossche Dunes, dredging 30 million cubic meters of sand from the North Sea to create the new landscape.
The assessment quantifies the ecosystem services and economic impacts of the new dune landscape under several flood scenarios and compares this NBI solution to a conventional dike reinforcement. The valuation also focuses on estimated benefits accrued due to increases in tourism when compared to the previous flood protection, which can help to inform the budgeting process as well as decisions on infrastructure investments.
Read the full report here, or for the story version click here.