Marker Wadden
Restoring Lake Marken in the Netherlands
Marker Wadden restoration project, run by Natuurmonumenten will restore Lake Marken (Markermeer), one of the largest freshwater lakes in Europe, by constructing islands, marshes and mud flats from the sediments that have accumulated in the lake in recent decades. Marker Wadden will boost biodiversity in the Netherlands. The project is aiming to restore an area of up to 100 square kilometres.
One of the largest freshwater lakes in western Europe, the Markermeer is a shallow lake with a depth of between 3 and 5 metres. It used to be part of the Zuiderzee, a saltwater inlet of the North Sea, which was dammed off in 1932.
Following the abandonment of a land reclamation project in the 1980s, the Markermeer became a valuable ecological and recreational asset. The lake is a Natura 2000 site, and an important breeding, resting and wintering habitat for numerous bird species. It is also home to wide range of fish species, on which many bird species depend.
Unfortunately the biodiversity of Markermeer has declined drastically over the last few decades. Due to the separation of the lake by dykes, sediment which was once carried away on currents now falls to the bottom of the lake, making the water turbid and negatively impacting fish and bird populations, as well as plants and molluscs.
The eventual aim of the Marker Wadden project, which began in 2014, is to create a 10,000-hectare archipelago of islands in the lake, using the fine sediment from the lake bottom. In a groundbreaking approach, a consortium of Dutch companies, including hydraulic engineering company Boskalis and the Department of Public Works of Rijkswaterstaat, are using ring dykes of sand to contain the sediment.
Facilitating the restoration of up to 100 square kilometres of lake, Marker Wadden’s archipelago of islands will provide a wide range of valuable habitats and solve the problem of siltation by changing water dynamics and creating deeper gullies where suspended silt can settle out. By improving water quality, this will also help to regenerate ecological productivity, boosting ecosystem functioning and benefiting many species of birds, fish and macrofauna. It will also benefit recreational activities on the lake.
Government funding is vital to the success of Marker Wadden, with the overall cost of the project estimated to be around €300 million. Construction of one island of 250 hectares has already been completed, while financing for the next four islands (representing the first project phase of 1000 hectares) has already been secured.
The Marker Wadden project, which will transform a large inland water body with poor ecological functioning into a lake teeming with life above and below the water, is a great example of a nature-based solution using rewilding principles. It’s a win-win for wild nature and man!
Marker Wadden restoration project, run by Natuurmonumenten will restore Lake Marken (Markermeer), one of the largest freshwater lakes in Europe, by constructing islands, marshes and mud flats from the sediments that have accumulated in the lake in recent decades. Marker Wadden will boost biodiversity in the Netherlands. The project is aiming to restore an area of up to 100 square kilometres.
One of the largest freshwater lakes in western Europe, the Markermeer is a shallow lake with a depth of between 3 and 5 metres. It used to be part of the Zuiderzee, a saltwater inlet of the North Sea, which was dammed off in 1932.
Following the abandonment of a land reclamation project in the 1980s, the Markermeer became a valuable ecological and recreational asset. The lake is a Natura 2000 site, and an important breeding, resting and wintering habitat for numerous bird species. It is also home to wide range of fish species, on which many bird species depend.
Unfortunately the biodiversity of Markermeer has declined drastically over the last few decades. Due to the separation of the lake by dykes, sediment which was once carried away on currents now falls to the bottom of the lake, making the water turbid and negatively impacting fish and bird populations, as well as plants and molluscs.
The eventual aim of the Marker Wadden project, which began in 2014, is to create a 10,000-hectare archipelago of islands in the lake, using the fine sediment from the lake bottom. In a groundbreaking approach, a consortium of Dutch companies, including hydraulic engineering company Boskalis and the Department of Public Works of Rijkswaterstaat, are using ring dykes of sand to contain the sediment.
Facilitating the restoration of up to 100 square kilometres of lake, Marker Wadden’s archipelago of islands will provide a wide range of valuable habitats and solve the problem of siltation by changing water dynamics and creating deeper gullies where suspended silt can settle out. By improving water quality, this will also help to regenerate ecological productivity, boosting ecosystem functioning and benefiting many species of birds, fish and macrofauna. It will also benefit recreational activities on the lake.
Government funding is vital to the success of Marker Wadden, with the overall cost of the project estimated to be around €300 million. Construction of one island of 250 hectares has already been completed, while financing for the next four islands (representing the first project phase of 1000 hectares) has already been secured.
The Marker Wadden project, which will transform a large inland water body with poor ecological functioning into a lake teeming with life above and below the water, is a great example of a nature-based solution using rewilding principles. It’s a win-win for wild nature and man!