The Port of Rotterdam Authority is working toward a nature-inclusive port, where economic development goes hand in hand with the restoration and conservation of nature and biodiversity in the Rhine-Meuse Delta.
The Port of Rotterdam Authority presents this vision for the future in a new Nature Vision for the period 2025 to 2050.
The Nature Vision was developed in collaboration with the Naturalis Biodiversity Center and aligns with the Port of Rotterdam Authority’s ambition to become a net positive port: a port that ultimately makes a positive contribution to society and operates in complete harmony with its surroundings.
The vision describes how nature and biodiversity are structurally integrated into the organization, decision-making, and projects of the Port Authority, and how companies in the port are encouraged to take measures on their own premises.
Additionally, nature-inclusive working becomes the standard for new developments.
A good example of this is the Maasvlakte Zuid railway yard, which is being developed in a nature-inclusive way with extra space for nature. Water features are being created with nature-friendly banks, typical dune vegetation, amphibian ponds, and breeding pontoons for vulnerable coastal birds.
The EMZ layout thus includes elements of both coastal and dune landscapes.
The Port of Rotterdam Authority is also actively working with partners to improve basic conditions such as soil quality, water quality, and to reduce environmental disruptions caused by light, noise, and waste.
Eric van der Schans, Director of Environmental Management at the Port of Rotterdam Authority, explains that the Port of Rotterdam Authority recognizes its responsibility to contribute to a better living and working environment for everyone in and around the port area.
The Nature Vision is built around nine characteristic landscapes in and around the port, including the coastal landscape, dune landscape, and tidal landscape.
The Port of Rotterdam Authority is already applying ecological management in various parts of the port area.
