How the Netherlands transformed its rivers – and what the UK could learn

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1. Severe floods and pollution forced the Dutch government to rethink how its rivers are managed. i travels to the Netherlands to find out whether this could be a solution for Britain’s beleaguered waterways

   The [De Biesbosch National Park](https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/travel/dordrecht-netherlands-time-capsule-city-tourism-3021446?ico=in-line_link) is alive with wildlife.

   White tailed eagles, great egrets, ospreys and kingfishers can be spotted among the vast network of rivers and creeks that comprise the 9,000 hectare site in the Netherlands. Hundreds of beavers live in burrows across the park, ready to come out at night.

   This landscape was created as part of the Dutch Government’s “Room for the Rivers” project, the purpose of which was to create spaces for waterways to flood to avoid ruining communities. In the process, it created areas for nature to flourish.

   Nothing quite like this exists in the UK, according to Rob Stoneman, director of landscape recovery for Wildlife Trusts. Conservationists like Mr Stoneman believe such spaces could be the solution to Britain’s growing flood risk problem, alongside the sewage and biodiversity crises.

   “Our national parks in the UK are not really national parks,” he says, adding that [Britain’s agriculture-dominated landscapes prevent nature from thriving](https://inews.co.uk/news/environment/england-national-parks-shocking-job-protecting-nature-explained-780664?ico=in-line_link).

   The story was once the same for De Biesbosch, which was farmed for hundreds of years until it became part of the pioneering Dutch scheme.

   Adopted by the national government following devastating floods in 1993 and 1995, the €2.3bn (£1.9bn) project aimed to redesign the country’s rivers to protect towns from flooding and create spaces for nature.

   It’s an approach that has garnered increasing interest in the UK [as we face a crisis in our own rivers](https://inews.co.uk/category/news/save-britains-rivers?srsltid=AfmBOoqW71MqUrGBqa9-VgYYUIkofvGTC4udp86Aw90G2JOtPKe7JaAZ?ico=in-line_link). In addition to the growing threat of floods, Britain’s waterways are suffering from devastating pollution – [primarily from sewage works and agriculture](https://inews.co.uk/news/south-west-sewage-spills-weekend-heavy-rain-3266894?ico=in-line_link) – and a huge decline in biodiversity.

   Ecologist Wouter Helmer is one of the architects of the Netherland’s new approach to water. He coordinated work on several pilot projects along the Rhine and Meuse before the government adopted the concept as a national policy.

   “We were used to the traditional solution; if there’s more flood risk, raise the dykes,” Mr Helmer says. “This was done for 800 years, but people were more or less fed up with that.”

   Raising dykes also involves widening them, which took up more space, Mr Helmer adds. With the growing threat of extreme rainfall due to climate change, this option no longer seemed sustainable.

2. Wait we are not supposed to dump dumps into them?