North Sea Ecosystem Regeneration at Heart of Dutch Govt’s New Program

January 7, 2025, by Nadja Skopljak

Human touch has taken its toll on the delicate North Sea ecosystem. With the growing pressure of climate change and demand for sustainable energy and food, this ecosystem keeps deteriorating. Preventing or preserving the North Sea now has an exclamation point. As a response, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature has launched the Nature Regeneration North Sea Program which aims to create a more resilient and biodiverse North Sea and enable the co-existence of sustainable use and a thriving ecosystem.

At Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference (OEEC) 2024, Jeroen Vis, Program Lead of the Nature Regeneration North Sea program at the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature, noted that in addition to existing legislation and frameworks, the program aims to improve the overall ecosystem of the North Sea from the Dutch perspective, but also from the international perspective, supporting better sustainable use.

Vis emphasized that the development of offshore wind in the North Sea, the new kid on the block, grew into one big, concrete effect, moving from 10 GW of capacity to 20 GW, and more in the future, therefore taking only the technical and cost aspects is not enough, and the perspective of the sea needs to come on board.

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“It is not only the beauty of the sea we cannot keep taking for granted, it is also preventing or preserving our joint national capital accounts, biodiversity, our livelihoods, food resources, space, energy and genetic resources, etc., but luckily there is a growing awareness that we have to take action on marine nature and biodiversity.”

According to Vis, existing policies are mainly focusing on limiting future damage, thus the new program emphasizes the need for added actions to ensure the ecosystem’s long-term resilience, as it is clear that additional efforts are necessary.

Working with stakeholders and companies, nature organizations, science and research consultants, and governments, the Dutch Government has reserved a budget of approximately €150 million up until 2030. However, Vis hopes that the knock-on effects of the program will go further than 2031 and that it could expand.

There are many things that draw attention, therefore the program is working on all kinds of different ecosystem elements, making it hard to predict what the effects will be. It embraces a learn-by-doing approach, where knowledge is gathered through practical implementation and monitoring, meaning adaptation and improvement come on the go.

“The food webs, ecological changes, all kinds of influence of weather and climate are making it very difficult to predict what we are producing. Doing something for the sea and trying to get the result that you want is not straightforward. So with this, the mission of the program is a future-proof balance in the North Sea and then strengthening it,” Vis said.

As for decommissioning, Vis states that the vision is clear and the structures need to be removed by law, however, it is really important to think in the longer run and see with policymakers and other institutions how the qualities of what has been established can be preserved, as well as think about and learn from temporary nature.

The knowledge the program is gathering is shared internationally through a dedicated toolbox, helping other regions join the collective mission of large-scale nature enhancement, thus, everyone’s role is vital.

Speaking of including nature protection in offshore wind tenders, Vis noted that the program is not there yet, however, knowledge is being shared and it is up to policymakers to make the decisions and review the inputs: “At the moment we hope to influence the decision making. We share our knowledge and it is up to policy to make the decisions and review the inputs. We try to see that we can make a difference because we share our knowledge.”

To conclude, Vis invited individuals and companies to reach out to share an idea or lend a hand, emphasizing the importance of joining forces, finding solutions and applying them, as well as sharing information and knowledge.