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VOICE-OVER: In 2011, one of the largest scientific experiments in coastal protection
took shape in the Netherlands: the Sand Motor.
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An artificial peninsula designed to nourish the coast for the coming 20 years.
The Sand Motor slowly spreads towards the beaches and dunes,
under the influence of waves, tides and the wind.
Here, nature does its job.
Different plants, birds and other animals emerge,
while nature lovers explore the fascinating and unique coastal landscape
of the Sand Motor.
To plan the realisation of the Sand Motor, financial resources, knowledge, skills
and cooperation of all parties involved were essential.
For such a large-scale project,
it was quite a challenge to get everyone on the same page.
Three goals were defined:
contributing to coastal safety,
adding an attractive area for leisure activities and nature development
and stimulating knowledge development about coastal management.
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At the start of this ambitious project, there were only calculated assumptions
about what was going to happen in the next couple of years.
There were lots of challenges and numerous questions.
Right after its completion,
the Sand Motor was still a largely empty peninsula of sand
ready for nature to spread its sand to the beaches.
And it did exactly that.
For 10 years, we studied the functioning of the Sand Motor.
Now, a decade later, we can share the results.
The conclusions are positive.
The Sand Motor contributes to coastal protection,
provides a wealth of new knowledge and is good for both nature and recreation.
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The Sand Motor contributes to coastal safety in the long run.
Currents and wind caused the large quantity of sand to spread over the beach and dunes.
It took a while for these dunes to emerge.
In the first five years, the sand hardly reached the dunes,
because of the lagoon and the dune lake.
SIERD DE VRIES: Well, you need a couple of ingredients
for the development of the dune area: you need sediment transport and vegetation.
And while there is a lot of sediment,
the amount of the magnitude of sediment transport was less than expected,
and therefore the dunes grew less quickly than we expected.
There are two bodies of water: the lagoon and dune lake.
The dune lake doesn't have a connection with the sea.
The water in the dune lake is also fresh.
And we see that sediment that is carried by wind is depositing in the dune lake.
It falls into the water, and it stays there.
There is no mechanism that mobilises it again.
So, slowly this dune lake is filling itself with sediment,
and it becomes smaller, and we see the result of that.
We are here, standing near the lagoon.
This lagoon fills at high tide and low tide, when it's connected to the sea.
Therefore, there is an exchange of water between the sea and the lagoon.
And this water carries sediment and also brings sediment into the lagoon.
So, in the lagoon, it's a bit more complex.
We have the wind blowing sediment, like in the dune lake,
but we have also the waves and the tides bringing sediment into the lagoon,
and therefore also the lagoon gets smaller.
It's chosen to deposit sediment in such a way
that natural forces distribute the sediment
in the coastal profile and natural forces cause dunes to grow.
VOICE-OVER: The Sand Motor offers plenty of space for nature and recreation.
The increase in the number of benthic animals,
and consequently shore birds,
shows that a project such as the Sand Motor
can quickly provide a greater diversity of species in the nature area.
LEO LINNARTZ: On most of the coastline in the Netherlands,
the coast is quite a straight line.
And the velocity of the sea movements is the same everywhere,
so you get an average type of life in the shallow shoreline.
But here, in the Sand Motor, there is a lot of variation in the environment.
There are locations where the currents are stronger
and locations where the currents are really almost absent.
And due to this variation in environments,
you have a lot of variation in species living there.
VOICE-OVER: Hikers and kitesurfers have also found their way to the Sand Motor.
So, it is truly a win-win-win project.
HETTI VAN HAMERSVELD: I walk around the Sand Motor because it's a very nice landscape,
and it develops every week.
Sometimes I have to cross the water, sometimes there is little water
and sometimes I climb the little dunes.
So, it's very exciting and an adventure every week.
It's nice to see that the Sand Motor is used by people on horses
and the cyclists on the path around here.
And the people who stay at the holiday homes,
you see them enjoying and loving the environment.
Yes, it is very nice to see.
In addition to the direct benefits,
the Sand Motor also yielded a wealth of information.
We are already using this knowledge in new coastal maintenance schemes.
The Sand Motor has proven to be a successful pilot project.
The construction of this special stretch of beach provides space for nature,
contributes to long-term coastal safety,
and also offers a valued recreation area for hikers and kitesurfers.
Moreover, we have gained a wealth of experience
that has been applied to other places in coastal management.
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