Researchers from the research groups Building with Nature and Resilient Deltas at HZ University of Applied Sciences, together with students from the master's program River Delta Development, have published an article in the scientific journal Journal of Environmental Management.

The publication is about the availability of ecosystem services before and after a redesign of the local coastal system, as happened in Perkpolder and the Hedwige. Ecosystem services are a scientific way of determining the services "delivered" to people by a healthy ecosystem. Local residents often prove unenthusiastic about coastal system redesign and do not recognize new ecosystem services as added value.

Broad-based

In the article, the researchers and students address the difference between how policymakers and residents think about measures such as shoreline shifting and the resulting consequences for water safety, nature, salinization and recreation. They also show that there are ways to make coastal adaptation more socially acceptable and widely supported.

The scientific article can be read here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/....