Working with nature makes the Netherlands more climate-resilient

The Netherlands can prepare more effectively for the impacts of climate change by working with nature alongside technical measures. This is the conclusion of ‘Natuurlijk kan het slimmer’, a report by the NL2120 knowledge and innovation programme, to which Deltares contributes. The report presents an initial exploration and assessment of future visions for the Netherlands in 2120.

For the coast, rivers, peatlands, sandy areas and cities, NL2120 describes which natural solutions offer the greatest potential and what they could deliver, often supported by specific figures. Rather than presenting the visions as a blueprint, the researchers invite public authorities, farmers, businesses, nature organisations and local communities to work together on natural solutions.

Nature as an ally

“Nature is our most important ally in creating a safe delta and should be part of every sound engineering design,” says Bregje van Wesenbeeck, scientific director at Deltares, professor of Nature-based Solutions for climate adaptation and flood risk management at Delft University of Technology and one of the initiators of NL2120. “We need to improve our understanding of natural systems before intervening in them. This allows nature to become the starting point for design and an integral part of how we make our country climate-resilient. The NL2120 visions show that flood risk management and nature restoration can go hand in hand.”

Integrated and cost-effective

Natural solutions, often referred to internationally as Nature-based Solutions, make smart use of water, soil and ecosystems. Examples include urban greenery that provides cooling and natural multi-channel river systems that help prevent riverbed erosion, improve the distribution of river discharge and reduce extreme water levels, with positive effects on navigation and flood risk management.

These measures often serve several purposes simultaneously. Giving rivers more space lowers water levels during periods of high discharge while creating more room for river habitats and recreation. According to the NL2120 report, natural solutions can therefore be more cost-effective than measures serving a single purpose. They also make more efficient use of scarce space.

The report states that the investments required for these natural solutions will pay off by making the Netherlands more resilient to drought, heat, flooding and excessive rainfall. They will also create essential conditions for sustainable economic growth, nature restoration, improved water quality and the health of millions of people in the Netherlands.

Addressing several challenges at once

Natural solutions can often address several challenges simultaneously, including housing, agriculture, nature restoration and flood risk management. This makes more efficient use of scarce space and prevents a solution to one challenge from creating new problems elsewhere.

Water and subsurface systems as the starting point

The Netherlands faces its largest transformation since the Second World War, involving billions of euros in investment in housing, energy, agriculture and nature restoration. As a low-lying delta, the country is vulnerable to sea-level rise and weather extremes. Adapting to these changes will require action from everyone and force us to make difficult decisions.

Continuing on our current path is not an option. Making the Netherlands climate-resilient is a prerequisite for its future economic capacity and well-being. The second reassessment of the Delta Programme in 2026 therefore emphasises that, alongside technical measures, greater attention must be paid to spatial planning and land use, with healthy water and subsurface systems as the starting point.

Five promising strategies

According to NL2120, there are many opportunities to make the Netherlands climate-resilient through natural solutions, combined with technical measures where necessary. The report develops five visions of the future or promising strategies:

1. Enabling coastal landscapes to grow with the sea: A broad, natural transition zone of dunes, mudflats, salt marshes and shallow waters develops along the coast. Sand and sediment can accumulate here, allowing the landscape to grow as sea levels rise. This creates a natural buffer that reduces wave energy and protects the coast, while also creating valuable new delta habitats.
2. Giving rivers more space: Rivers are allowed to flow more freely, with wider, more varied floodplains and natural riverbanks. This creates more room to accommodate high water, prevents further riverbed erosion and helps rivers remain navigable for longer during dry periods. It also strengthens distinctive river habitats.
3. Rewetting peat meadow areas: Water levels are raised, making the peat wetter and slowing its oxidation, while allowing it to regrow where possible. This stores CO₂ and helps prevent further land subsidence, damage to foundations and greenhouse gas emissions. It also creates opportunities for new forms of agriculture, ranging from wet crops to dairy farming suited to a wetter landscape. In this way, vulnerable peat meadow areas can gain a new economic perspective.
4. Increasing the water-retention capacity of sandy areas: River and stream valleys are given more room to capture water naturally, retain it and release it gradually across the entire catchment. This makes the landscape more resilient to both drought and excessive rainfall while creating a better balance between the natural water system and the space needed for housing, recreation, drinking water and food production. This will help ensure that these functions remain possible in the long term.
5. Greening cities: Nature is brought back into cities, from green roofs and rows of trees to parks and blue-green spaces. This allows cities to capture more rainwater and provide cooling during hot and dry periods. It also creates healthier and more pleasant living environments for millions of people in the Netherlands.

According to the researchers, investment in natural solutions would also bring several ambitions within closer reach. By 2050, the Netherlands would be climate-resilient and better prepared for sea-level rise, weather extremes such as intense rainfall and heat, prolonged drought and wildfires.

The objectives of the Birds and Habitats Directives, the Basic Quality of Nature framework and the EU Nature Restoration Regulation would come back within reach. Water quality would improve significantly, representing a value of approximately €7.5 billion. The quality of both rural and urban living environments would also improve, delivering an estimated health benefit of around 1.5 million life years.

Combining national objectives intelligently

Cooperation with existing policy and implementation programmes is crucial if the opportunities offered by natural solutions are to be realised and scaled up. Over the coming years, natural solutions should become a standard part of these programmes.

Linking objectives for nature, water and infrastructure can reduce costs. The Netherlands currently invests approximately €10 billion a year in water management and climate adaptation, and this figure is expected to double in the coming years. The researchers recommend that every investment in water management and climate adaptation should also contribute to biodiversity and nature restoration. Programmes, projects and procurement processes should also include a natural solution as a standard alternative.

Natural solutions are already being applied in several parts of the Netherlands. Examples include Room for the River, the Hunze Valley in the provinces of Drenthe and Groningen, the Eiland van Brienenoord tidal park in Rotterdam and the foreshore of the IJsselmeer dyke in Flevoland.