Background.

The Dutch main water systems are facing critical environmental, economic and societal challenges due to climatic changes and increased human pressure. There is a growing awareness that nature-based solutions (NBS) provide cost-effective solutions that simultaneously provide environmental, social and economic benefits and help to build resilience. In the Netherlands – in one of the world’s densely populated deltas – successful NBS are implemented along the main rivers under the umbrella of ‘Room for the River’ projects.

The project “Living labs Grensmaas” is part of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) grant “Crossing the borders at the Grensmaas” carried out in collaboration with several academic institutions and societal partners in the Netherlands. Our research goal is to understand social, ecological, and economic impacts of Nature-Based Solutions projects.

Our goal

We propose a multidisciplinary research and capacity building program to be run in close cooperation with other funded Living Labs. Our overall aim is to deliver knowledge about success factors and design principles of NBS to provide support on how large scale nature-based interventions can contribute to the resilience of water systems in the Netherlands in the 21st century.

Map of the dutch areas excavated by the Consortium Grensmaas. They are often named after the villages associated with the sites. The time indicates the progress in the different areas.