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AI
Ge e ated
I
the
middle
of
the
Nethe la ds,
a
u usual
expe ime t
i
co se vatio
bega
with
a
u likely
aw
mate ial:
mud.
I stead
of
t eati g
the
vast
qua tities
of
sedime t
accumulati g
o
the
floo
of
Ma ke mee
as
waste,
Dutch
e gi ee s
used
it
to
c eate
a
ew
la dscape.
They
built
a
chai
of
isla ds
f om
sa d,
clay,
silt
a d
othe
mate ial
d edged
f om
the
lake,
c eati g
beaches,
shallow
wate s,
ma shes
a d
shelte ed
habitats
whe e
ve y
little
suitable
habitat
had
existed
befo e.The
p oject,
called
Ma ke
Wadde ,
was
desig ed
to
help
evive
the
ecology
of
Ma ke mee ,
a
la ge
f eshwate
lake
whose
ecosystem
had
dete io ated
afte
decades
of
huma
i te ve tio .
But
the
most
ema kable
pa t
came
afte wa ds.
Natu e
bega
movi g
i .Withi
just
a
few
yea s,
the
ewly
c eated
isla ds
we e
bei g
colo ised
by
pla ts,
i sects
a d
fish,
while
thousa ds
of
mig ato y
a d
b eedi g
bi ds
bega
usi g
the
a ea
fo
feedi g,
esti g
a d
esti g.
What
sta ted
as
a
huge
e gi ee i g
p oject
was
g adually
becomi g
a
livi g
ecosystem.
Why
the
Nethe la ds
eeded
to
build
ew
isla ds
Ma ke mee
is
a
ma -made
f eshwate
lake
c eated
th ough
o e
of
the
Nethe la ds’
e o mous
wate -ma ageme t
p ojects.
Befo e
the
lake
was
sepa ated
f om
the
sea,
the
a ea
was
pa t
of
the
Zuide zee,
a
saltwate
i let
of
the
No th
Sea.
The
co st uctio
of
the
Afsluitdijk
i
1932
cut
the
Zuide zee
off
f om
the
No th
Sea,
tu i g
it
i to
the
f eshwate
IJsselmee .
Fu the
e gi ee i g
wo ks
eve tually
c eated
Ma ke mee
as
a
sepa ate
lake.These
i te ve tio s
t a sfo med
the
la dscape
but
also
c eated
a
ecological
p oblem.
Ma ke mee
is
shallow
a d
exposed,
a d
la ge
qua tities
of
fi e
sedime t
ca
be
sti ed
up
f om
its
bottom.
The
esulti g
cloudy
wate
makes
it
difficult
fo
su light
to
pe et ate,
affecti g
aquatic
pla ts
a d
the
o ga isms
that
depe d
o
them.The
lake
also
lacked
ma y
of
the
shallow,
shelte ed
habitats
that
suppo t
you g
fish,
aquatic
pla ts
a d
wate bi ds.
Co se vatio ists
the efo e
p oposed
a
adical
solutio :
athe
tha
t yi g
to
emove
the
sedime t,
use
it
to
build
ew
habitat.
The
co cept
became
Ma ke
Wadde .
Millio s
of
to es
of
sedime t
became
a
ew
la dscape
The
fi st
stage
of
Ma ke
Wadde
was
ot
about
c eati g
a
co ve tio al
isla d
fo
people.
I stead,
e gi ee s
desig ed
a
la dscape
specifically
fo
wildlife.Mate ial
f om
the
bottom
of
Ma ke mee
was
d edged
a d
deposited
withi
ca efully
co st ucted
bou da ies.
Sa d
was
used
to
fo m
p otective
st uctu es,
while
softe
sedime t
was
placed
i side
them.
As
the
mate ial
settled,
it
fo med
la d
at
diffe e t
elevatio s.This
c eated
a
mixtu e
of
habitats
athe
tha
a
si gle
flat
isla d.
The e
we e
sa dy
beaches,
shallow
lagoo s,
wetla ds,
mudflats
a d
highe
a eas
whe e
vegetatio
could
establish
itself.
Cha els
a d
ope i gs
allowed
wate
to
move
th ough
pa ts
of
the
la dscape,
helpi g
c eate
the
dy amic
co ditio s
fou d
i
atu al
wetla ds.Acco di g
to
a
a ticle
titled
‘Rewildi g
the
pla et:
A
a chipelago
co st ucted
of
sa d
a d
mud
is
b i gi g
ew
life
to
a
dead
lake
but
ca
this
bold
expe ime t
have
a
lasti g
impact?’
published
i
Natu e,
a ou d
37.2
millio
to es
of
mate ial
we e
d edged
du i g
co st uctio ,
almost
all
of
it
f om
the
lake
itself.
The
fi st
isla d
was
completed
i
2016,
with
the
wide
a chipelago
developed
i
subseque t
stages.The
app oach
was
sig ifica t
because
it
combi ed
la ge-scale
Dutch
e gi ee i g
with
a
philosophy
sometimes
desc ibed
as
buildi g
with
atu e.The
e gi ee s
c eated
the
i itial
co ditio s.
They
did
ot
attempt
to
co t ol
eve y
subseque t
cha ge.
Wi d,
waves,
sedime t,
pla ts
a d
a imals
would
help
dete mi e
what
the
isla ds
eve tually
became.
Bi ds
we e
amo g
the
fi st
visito s
of
the
isla d
The
speed
at
which
wildlife
bega
usi g
Ma ke
Wadde
su p ised
eve
some
of
the
people
i volved.
The
ba e -looki g
isla ds
soo
att acted
bi ds,
i cludi g
species
that
eeded
somewhe e
to
est
o
b eed
away
f om
the
exposed
wate s
of
Ma ke mee .As
epo ted
by
the
Depa tme t
of
Avia
Ecology
a d
Mig atio ,
Museum
a d
I stitute
of
Zoology,
Polish
Academy
of
Scie ces,
pio ee
bi ds
such
as
te s
bega
a ivi g
while
pa ts
of
the
la dscape
we e
still
bei g
fo med.
Some
bi ds
eve
t avelled
to
the
No th
Sea
to
fi d
food
befo e
etu i g
to
the
isla ds.As
vegetatio
a d
aquatic
life
developed,
the
umbe
a d
va iety
of
bi ds
i c eased.
By
2021,
47
bi d
species
we e
b eedi g
o
Ma ke
Wadde .
A ou d
60,000
mig ato y
bi ds
used
the
isla ds
du i g
the
yea
to
July
2021,
acco di g
to
the
Natu e
epo t.Amo g
the
visito s
we e
Eu asia
spoo bills,
g eate
flami gos
a d
gull-billed
te s.
The
appea a ce
of
gull-billed
te s
was
pa ticula ly
otable
because
the
species
had
ot
b ed
i
the
Nethe la ds
fo
decades.The
isla ds
we e
the efo e
becomi g
mo e
tha
isolated
pieces
of
la d.
They
we e
tu i g
i to
a
impo ta t
stopove
a d
b eedi g
a ea
withi
a
wide
etwo k
of
Eu opea
wetla ds.
The
t a sfo matio
was
happe i g
u de wate
too
The
bi ds
p ovided
the
most
visible
evide ce
of
cha ge,
but
much
of
Ma ke
Wadde ‘s
ecological
developme t
was
taki g
place
be eath
the
wate .The
ew
shelte ed
a eas
c eated
co ditio s
fo
aquatic
pla ts
a d
small
o ga isms
to
establish
themselves.
Fish
bega
usi g
the
shallow
wate s,
pa ticula ly
as
u se y
habitat
fo
you ge
i dividuals.Resea che s
eco ded
ume ous
fish
species
a ou d
the
isla ds,
alo gside
fish
la vae
a d
a
a ge
of
smalle
o ga isms
fo mi g
the
fou datio s
of
the
developi g
food
web.This
is
impo ta t
because
the
o igi al
p oblem
i
Ma ke mee
was
ot
simply
that
the e
we e
too
few
isla ds.
The
lake
had
lost
a
va iety
of
habitats.By
i t oduci g
shallow,
shelte ed
a eas,
Ma ke
Wadde
c eated
places
whe e
o ga isms
at
diffe e t
levels
of
the
food
chai
could
live.
Pla ts
a d
mic oscopic
o ga isms
suppo ted
i sects
a d
small
aquatic
a imals,
which
i
tu
p ovided
food
fo
fish
a d
bi ds.The
esult
was
a
ecosystem
g adually
buildi g
itself
a ou d
a
la dscape
that
had
ot
existed
o ly
a
few
yea s
ea lie .
The
isla ds
a e
a tificial,
but
the
ecosystem
is
ot
The e
is
a
impo ta t
disti ctio
betwee
buildi g
a
isla d
a d
buildi g
a
ecosystem.
The
fi st
was
do e
by
people.
The
seco d
is
bei g
shaped
by
atu e.The
Dutch
p oject
did
ot
attempt
to
ec eate
a
exact
histo ical
la dscape.
I stead,
it
i t oduced
habitats
that
we e
missi g
f om
the
mode
lake
a d
allowed
wildlife
to
dete mi e
what
would
happe
ext.That
makes
Ma ke
Wadde
a
u usual
fo m
of
ecological
esto atio .
It
is
ot
a
etu
to
a
p isti e
la dscape
that
existed
befo e
huma
i te ve tio .
It
is
a
attempt
to
c eate
ew
ecological
possibilities
withi
a
la dscape
that
has
al eady
bee
heavily
e gi ee ed.This
disti ctio
is
ce t al
to
the
epo ti g
i
Natu e,
which
p ese ts
Ma ke
Wadde
as
a
la ge-scale
expe ime t
i
how
huma s
ca
alte
physical
co ditio s
a d
the
allow
atu al
p ocesses
to
take
ove .
The
ew
isla ds
face
a
atu al
p oblem
Ma ke
Wadde ‘s
success
does
ot
mea
the
isla ds
will
emai
u cha ged.
They
we e
built
la gely
f om
soft
sedime t,
which
atu ally
settles
a d
compacts
ove
time.
As
wate
d ai s
f om
the
mate ial
a d
the
weight
of
the
isla ds
comp esses
the
laye s
below,
pa ts
of
the
la dscape
ca
g adually
si k.Fo
a
a tificial
isla d,
this
c eates
a
lo g-te m
challe ge.
U like
a
atu al
coastal
system,
Ma ke
Wadde
does
ot
eceive
a
egula
supply
of
sedime t
f om
tides
a d
ive s
that
ca
co ti ually
ebuild
the
la d.
Resea che s
the efo e
co ti ue
to
mo ito
how
the
isla ds
evolve,
i cludi g
cha ges
i
thei
elevatio ,
sedime t
moveme t
a d
vegetatio .This
g adual
t a sfo matio
is
ot
ecessa ily
a
failu e.
The
p oject
was
desig ed
to
allow
atu al
p ocesses
to
shape
the
la dscape
athe
tha
p ese ve
it
i
exactly
the
fo m
i
which
e gi ee s
c eated
it.
The
questio
is
whethe
those
p ocesses
ca
mai tai
the
shallow
wate s,
wetla ds
a d
ope
a eas
that
made
the
isla ds
valuable
to
wildlife
i
the
fi st
place.
C eati g
habitat
is
o ly
the
fi st
step
The
cha gi g
la dscape
also
aises
a
wide
questio
fo
a tificial-isla d
p ojects:
how
lo g
ca
ewly
c eated
habitats
co ti ue
to
suppo t
the
species
they
we e
desig ed
to
att act?The
afo eme tio ed
2026
study
published
i
Estua ies
a d
Coasts
by
Domi ik
Ma chowski
a d
colleagues
offe s
a
impo ta t
i sight.
Resea che s
exami ed
two
a tificial
isla ds
made
f om
d edged
sedime t
i
Pola d’s
Szczeci
Lagoo
a d
fou d
that
wate bi ds
colo ised
them
apidly.
The
isla ds
soo
became
impo ta t
b eedi g
g ou ds,
i cludi g
fo
species
of
co se vatio
co ce .But
the
esea che s
also
fou d
that
these
be efits
ca
cha ge
as
vegetatio
takes
hold.
O
o e
of
the
isla ds,
tall
vegetatio ,
i cludi g
eeds
a d
willow,
cove ed
less
tha
1%
of
the
a ea
i
2021
but
had
expa ded
to
23%
by
2025.
Thei
modelli g
suggested
that
co ti ued
vegetatio
g owth
could
substa tially
educe
the
ope
habitat
used
by
g ou d- esti g
bi ds
withi
a
few
yea s.The
fi di g
adds
a
impo ta t
qualificatio
to
the
success
sto y
of
p ojects
such
as
Ma ke
Wadde .
Buildi g
ew
habitat
ca
give
wildlife
a
immediate
boost,
but
mai tai i g
that
habitat
may
equi e
lo g-te m
ma ageme t.
A
isla d
that
begi s
as
ope
sa d
a d
mud
ca
eve tually
become
a
de sely
vegetated
la dscape,
suppo ti g
a
ve y
diffe e t
commu ity
of
species.Ma chowski
a d
his
colleagues
the efo e
highlight
both
the
pote tial
a d
the
limitatio s
of
d edged-sedime t
isla ds.
Thei
isolatio
ca
p ovide
valuable
b eedi g
efuges
with
educed
access
fo
te est ial
p edato s,
but
the
co se vatio
be efits
may
dimi ish
if
the
physical
a d
ecological
co ditio s
that
att acted
bi ds
i
the
fi st
place
disappea .Ma ke
Wadde
shows
how
sedime t
o ce
ega ded
as
a
waste
mate ial
ca
become
a
fu ctio i g
wildlife
habitat.
The
ewe
esea ch
adds
a othe
dime sio
to
that
sto y:
successful
esto atio
is
ot
o ly
about
givi g
atu e
somewhe e
to
begi ;
it
is
also
about
u de sta di g
how
that
habitat
will
cha ge
ove
time.
