Large scale RESToration of COASTal ecosystems
Coastal ecosystems across Europe are under threat. These vital areas not only support rich biodiversity, but also provide ecosystem services to society, such as reducing flood risks and capturing carbon. The REST-COAST project is working across several European sites to demonstrate how large-scale coastal restoration can be achieved and how it can serve as powerful a tool for climate adaptation.
What is REST-COAST?
Coastal regions provide some of the most productive and biodiverse environments with significant and often underappreciated carbon storage potential, combined with the highest densities of population, assets and cultural heritage in the world. REST-COAST aims to provide tools and methods to address some of the key challenges in restoring coastal ecosystems while supporting climate adaptation efforts of coastal communities with nature-based solutions across Europe.
Partners in restoration
REST-COAST consists of 9 pilot sites across 11 European countries involving 37 partners. Each pilot site brings its own challenges and restoration innovations; from reinforcing dunes at the Ebro Delta in Spain, restoring marshes within the subsiding Venice Lagoon, to harnessing sediment from the water for nature restoration in the Wadden Sea. Research on these pilots is supported by a wide range of universities, research institutes, NGOs, and governmental organisations.
The role of Deltares
Deltares contributes to the development of tooling and methodological frameworks across the REST-COAST project, with a specific application to the restoration pilot in the Ems Estuary, located in the Wadden Sea at the border between the Netherlands and Germany.
Together with Dutch and German partners, we measure carbon sequestration in the Wadden Sea, develop numerical models to simulate the effectiveness and adaptation benefits of restoration measures, and apply these insights to support decision making with scalable plans and adaptation pathways together with local stakeholders.
We also consider enablers and barriers within governance arrangements and analyze financial mechanisms for achieving large-scale restoration. The lessons learned from the Wadden Sea are shared with our European partners to aid the development of adaptation and restoration actions at other sites.
Tools to support restoration
- Development of numerical tools for predicting ecosystem services, for example D-Eco Impact.
- A quick scan and strategies tool for disseminating and supporting the development of adaptation strategies. See video below.
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