Boskalis and Wetlands International to explore the potential of blue carbon
03 Febbraio 2020 - 2:00PM
Boskalis and Wetlands International to explore the potential of
blue carbon
Papendrecht, 3 February 2020
Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis), a global
dredging and marine contractor and Wetlands International, the
global NGO dedicated to the safeguarding and restoring of wetlands,
will intensify collaboration to enhance and restore coastal wetland
habitats that not only support coastal protection and fisheries but
store some of the world’s largest quantities of
carbon.
The recently signed agreement will see the organizations first
focus on developing the expertise and knowledge of ‘blue carbon’
ecosystems that can contribute to climate targets, adaptation and
biodiversity conservation. ‘Blue carbon’ refers to the carbon
stored by the world's coastal ecosystems, mostly mangroves, salt
marshes and seagrasses.
With increasing risks of flooding and erosion, the impacts of
climate change on coastal systems and communities are becoming ever
more apparent. The dredging sector has a large role to play in
safeguarding these areas, providing innovative ways to protect
coastlines and introducing adaptive measures.
Jane Madgwick, Chief Executive Officer of Wetlands International
said: “As natural coastal protection, carbon and water stores,
wetlands are vital in helping communities and nature deal with the
effects of climate change. Together with Boskalis, we aim to
further develop our blue carbon knowledge and expertise to help
nature-based approaches become best practice across the maritime
and dredging sector.”
Theo Baartmans, Board Member and Chief Operating Officer,
Boskalis: “As a leader in the industry, Boskalis is keen to further
develop nature-based solutions to protect and enrich coastal
ecosystems from the consequences of climate change. By
collaborating with Wetlands International we can combine our
respective areas of expertise to protect and further enhance
coastal wetland habitats in terms of biodiversity whilst
simultaneously utilizing their potential to store carbon.”
Boskalis and Wetlands International have worked together for
several years as active members of Ecoshape, a pioneering
consortium developing ‘building with nature’ principles to support
nature-based flood defenses, coastal restoration, resilient deltas
and sustainable ports. Such principles prioritize the use of
natural processes and materials such as sediment flow and mangrove
restoration to meet society's need for infrastructure. Noteworthy
projects undertaken together include the ‘Building with Nature
Indonesia’ program, where mangrove rehabilitation and nature-based
coastal protection provide a foundation for local economy and
community development.
Boskalis and Wetlands International are committed to
strengthening the knowledge base and sharing the learnings from the
collaboration with the sector as a whole.
- End of joint press release -
Additional information: Coastal ecosystems such
as mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, and tidal salt marshes are
important habitat for all kinds of species. These ecosystems
contribute a major part of people’s livelihoods and maintain water
quality. Their conservation and restoration are gaining interest,
not only in terms of biodiversity value, but as climate buffers,
providing a cost-effective way to both take carbon out of the
atmosphere while ensuring communities and nature can adapt to the
impacts of climate change.
Building with Nature Indonesia was developed by Wetlands
International with the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and
Fisheries, the Indonesian Ministry of Public Works and Housing and
Boskalis as part of the Ecoshape consortium. The program is
supported by the Dutch Sustainable Water Fund and The Federal
Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear
Safety (BMU) as part of the International Climate Initiative
(IKI)).
World Wetlands Day, organized by the Ramsar Convention on
Wetlands, was celebrated on 2 February. This year’s theme is
wetlands and biodiversity.
For further information, please contact: Arno
Schikker, Manager Corporate Communications, Boskalis:
arno.schikker@boskalis.comGina Lovett, Global Head of
Communications & Advocacy, Wetlands International:
gina.lovett@wetlands.org
This press release can also be found on our
website www.boskalis.com.
- Boskalis and Wetlands International blue carbon 03022020
- Construction Work with Mangrove