HKV is very well acquainted with Nature-based solutions (NBS) to ensure that water safety is guaranteed. NBS (or Building with Nature – the knowledge base for NBS) are inspired by processes and functioning of nature. By developing and implementing solutions that are supported by nature, resilience is achieved by producing societal, environmental and economic benefits. NBS can be functional in various environments, including coastal, fresh water and urban settings.
Building with nature is important for climate change adaptation because NBS are usually more easily adaptable to changing circumstances. Also, this type of solutions has the ability to grow with sea level. The project Hondsbossche Dunes is a good example of this potential as sand blowing into the dunes actually ensures that the dunes become higher. HKV led the monitoring team that followed this process closely for four years.
This project is one of the examples that we carried out as part of the consortium of EcoShape which focusses on the application of Building with Nature pilots and projects. In the last decade, our experts were involved in multiple research and monitoring teams for NBS such as Pilotproject Houtribdijk and Kleirijperij.
Next to our efforts in this consortium we work on other studies concerning NBS as well. We came up with a framework to assess different NBS in Europe and we research the costs and decision making process of several NBS in the Netherlands to provide insight in why we choose for NBS. Also, in several trainings we provide all over the world NBS are a standard topic that we cover.
