Coastal protection remains a key challenge for the Belgian coast, even more in the perspective of sea level rise.
On a regular basis, sand is supplemented on the beaches to maintain them and to serve, jointly with the dikes, as coastal defence system. Currently, new concepts and technologies are focused on interacting with nature rather than just adding more concrete structures. Coastal dunes are important ecosystems that can play a crucial role in coastal protection.
At Ostend Science Park, engineers, biologists and ecologists work together to understand how coastal dunes can help protect our coast in a more natural manner by understanding and managing our dune ecosystems in a better and more sustainable manner. This will lead to a more effective and natural coastal protection.