Ecology

The ecology in delta areas is under increasing pressure. It is estimated that by 2050 approximately 80% of the world’s population will live in deltas. Population growth, the increased demand for a high-quality living environment, sea level rise and nature protection and development impose difficult questions on policy and decision makers, as conflicts of interest regularly occur. At Deltares we study the ecological functioning of fresh water, groundwater, marine and coastal ecosystems in relation to human use and advise on the most effective ways to restore or protect ecosystem health. We also research the extent to which climate change and other autonomous developments impact ecosystem quality and functioning.

This requires an understanding of the complex and dynamic characteristics of ecosystems. Our models for, and expertise about, water systems allow us to understand, integrate and visualise current and future ecosystem quality. Within our research and specialised advisory projects we focus particularly on climate robustness, the establishment and maintenance of resilient, healthy ecosystems, the impact of human interventions, the pleasure and other (monetary) benefits that people derive from their natural surroundings (ecosystem services) and new multi-functional approaches and innovations within the field of Eco-engineering.

Our expertise comprises:

• Integrated ecosystem analyses
• Ecosystem services
• Eco-toxicology
• Eco-engineering 
• Eco-hydrology
  

Our clients

• Governmental institutions, requiring regional (water) management plans in which socio-economical functions are sustainably integrated with nature functions.
• (Inter)national consultants and contractors such as offshore and dredging contractors, oil- and gas companies and project developers, aiming to make optimal use of ecosystem services while protecting or even strengthening the environment.
• Nature conservation organisations, searching for ways to optimise the planning and management of a nature area, while embedding human activities.
• Environmental consultants, requiring support of specialised physical or numerical modelling of aquatic systems.
• Multilateral funding institutions, such as Dutch Foreign Aid, the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.