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Seagrass development on Griend

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Seagrass and blue mussel banks (Mytilus edulis) for the bird paradise Griend 

Seagrass meadows were once widespread throughout the Dutch Wadden Sea, providing important habitat for marine, biodiversity, stabilizing sediments, and supporting ecosystem functioning. However, during the 20th century, the meadows declined drastically, due to a combination of factors, ranging from eelgrass wasting disease to altered hydrodynamic conditions. In response, several restoration initiatives have been launched to reverse these loses. Among the most prominent examples is the restoration programme around, is the island of Griend, an inhabited bird island in the middle of the Dutch Wadden Sea, where starting in 2016 Natuurmonumenten and Rijkswaterstaat carried out a number of restoration measures. In order to restore the seagrass meadows and help reduce the wave force and erosion of the island, artificial mussel banks were created on the west side, using the native blue mussel, in the shade of which seagrass was to grow. However, the mussel bank restoration on the exposed western side was unsuccessful, likely due to high wave exposure and storm-driven disturbance, which prevented the development of the stable mussel bed. A subsequent seagrass restoration project carried out by Natuurmonumenten in 2018 on the more sheltered eastern side of Griend proved very successful, resulting in the establishment of the largest artificially restored seagrass area in the Dutch Wadden Sea.  

Why is it a NbS (with regards to IUCN Definition)? 

  • Contributing to biodiversity by restoring seagrass areas 

  • Making use of mussel banks and seagrass areas as biobuilders to protect the island from erosion (wave power reduction) 

Purpose of the NbS: 

Restoring Griend as a storm surge island (preventing erosion on the west side of the island), but the project failed 

Context of the NbS:

Declared aim to preserve the island of Griend 

Further information on this NbS: 

https://klimaatadaptatienederland.nl/@157986/natuurlijke-klimaatbuffer-griend/ 

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