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The Netherlands |
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The Dutch coast is dominated by broad sandy beaches and extensive dune ridges. The Wadden region - with its dune islands and the abundance of birds and seals - belongs to the most important nature areas in Europe. The mainland coast (provinces Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland) contains the most important sea resorts of the country, and they are surrounded by impressive dune areas. These dunes protect the low coastal plain - with its polders and peat meadows - against the sea, since 25% of the Netherlands lies below sea level; without dikes, two-thirds of the Netherlands would be periodically flooded. The southwestern part of the country (the "Delta") has developed as complex estuary of the rivers Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt, with a wide variety of salt and brackish ecosystems. The new dikes of the Delta Plan protect the islands against the sea. Coastline length: 523 km, of which 353 km North Sea coast (incl. 254 km with dunes); the rest concerns the coast of the Wadden Sea and the Westerschelde estuary (towards Antwerp).
Sea
The sea is the largest nature area of the Netherlands, with many kinds of fish,
shellfish, crabs, shrimp, worms, etc. The coastal waters are important nurseries
for the whole North Sea and have the most abundant animal life. The marine ecosystems
are under severe fishing pressure; the seafloor is constantly being ploughed
and various fish species are being threatened by extinction.
North Sea:
natural habitat of about 200 fish species, including Smelt, Haddock, Plaice,
Sole, Sprat, Pollack, Herring, Mackerel, Cod and Whiting; in the open sea Harbour
Porpoise, a mammal belonging to the Dolphin family, is present. Sometimes in
autumn, Sperm Whales come from the north and get lost in the North Sea; when
they get into shallow areas they have difficulty getting back and sadly get
stranded.
Wadden
Sea: part of an international tidal area, an outstanding nursery
for the North Sea. This area hosts Harbour Seals (more than 1000), Grey Seals
and numerous coastal birds, fish and shellfish.
Voordelta:
in the shallow sea in the south-west, a tidal area with sandbanks and channels
has developed in front of the sea dikes. This Voordelta is important as a marine
nursery, as well as for seals and coastal and sea birds.
Remnants of the former Zuyder Zee after the creation of dams and polders are:
IJssel lake:
shallow, fresh inland lake of great importance for water birds and for water
management.
Marker lake:
shallow, fresh water lake, important for water birds e.g. diving ducks and swans.
The dike Enhuizen-Lelystad was the start of a land reclamation project; due
to the importance of the area for water birds and especially the Smew, the reclamation
has not been realised.
Estuaries
In the southwestern part of the country most estuaries have been turned into
coastal lakes by the Delta dams; the largest lakes are:
Haringvliet:
now a large fresh water lake; on the island, Tiengemeten a nature restoration
project has started in the 1990-ies;
Grevelingen:
now a salt water lake with some sandy islands
The following areas deserve special attention:
Biesbosch: a
former freshwater tidal area, now almost without tides due to the Delta dams.
Oosterschelde:
this estuary has partly kept its tidal character after the creation of the famous
storm surge barrier, but the natural values have decreased considerably. National
Park (in formation).
Westerschelde:
the last natural estuary, a funnel-shaped tidal outlet, of which the inland
part gradually changes into the river mouth of the Scheldt.
Salt marshes and mud flats
Along the edges of the Wadden Sea and the estuaries mud and sand flats occur;
the higher ones (only flooded at very high tides) are covered with halophytic
vegetation; daily high tide does however fill the channels, which keep shifting
their position.
Dune landscape
Younger Dunes occur along almost the whole North Sea coastline, with total surface
area of 40 000 hectares. Some examples:
Schiermonnikoog:
National Park
Dunes
of Ameland
Dunes
of Terschelling
Dunes
of Vlieland
Dunes of Texel: National Park
North Holland Dune Reserve
Zuid-Kennemerland:
National Park
Amsterdamse
Waterleidingduinen
Meijendel
Older dune forests
Only the forests in the sand barrier region between Haarlem and The Hague resemble
the once forested sand barriers and Older Dunes.
Cultural landscapes
Behind the dunes is a varied collection of cultural landscapes: peat meadows,
polders and reclaimed marshlands with many ditches and traditional windmills;
The Bulb district between
Haarlem and Leiden; the greenhouse area of the Westland (south to Den Haag).
The Delta area offers some spectacular achievements of civil engineering: the
harbour of Rotterdam (the largest in the world) and the Delta Plan with its
dams and bridges which connect islands and at the same time have to guarantee
the safety of those islands.
Nature management
Despite the high population density, the Dutch coastal zone still has a lot
to offer in terms of nature and nature oriented recreation. For a major part
this is due to continuous efforts of non-governmental organisations, some of
which are collaborating under the name "Kust en Zee", at the initiative of EUCC
- The Coastal Union; since 1977 Stichting Duinbehoud has played a pioneer role
for dune conservation. Fortunately, the conservation of the coastal landscape
now has a high priority in the Dutch government's nature policy. Natural values
now play an important role in the overall policy for the coastal zone, e.g.
concerning coastal defence.
Visitor centres
The most important centre for the Wadden and the North Sea is:
Ecomare:
visitor centre with a seal sanctuary; Internet: www.ecomare.nl.