Boskalis CSR report 2017

Impact on the environment CSR 2017 – BOSKALIS 36 CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION Climate change and its consequences, such as rising sea levels, are increasingly important topics for society and our sector. In this context, the centuries’ experience of the Dutch to fend off the ravages of the sea, and the thus acquired expertise and skills in the field of delta technology and hydraulic engineering, are highly rated throughout the world. Boskalis’ core business – including coastal defense and riverbank protection activities – enables it to provide innovative, adaptive and mitigating solutions to combat the impact of climate change. Boskalis is specialized in designing, realizing and maintaining sea defenses and beach replenishments. We widen rivers and channels and create floodplains to contain the water or facilitate drainage. In view of the fact that potential impacts from climate change are, as yet, hard to predict, Boskalis has been researching and looking into infrastructural solutions that are flexible and can be adapted as required in answer to a changing natural world. Our Building with Nature approach facilitates the design of these adaptive and flexible solutions. Already used in the realization of several projects, this approach enables us to use natural resources and ecosystems to build sustainable and adaptable hydraulic infrastructures. In addition, Building with Nature applies the basic principles of the circular economy by substituting materials such as concrete, basalt and rock with natural, renewable materials including sand and mangroves. Importantly, natural materials are adaptive – sand to wave impacts and mangroves capture sediment – thereby offering natural barriers to rising sea levels. Read more about Building with Nature on page 31. FLOOD PROTECTION In 2017, we executed a large number of flood protection related projects. ‚ ‚ In the Netherlands, numerous projects were carried out, including: reinforcement of the Wadden Sea dike on the island of Texel over a distance of fourteen kilometers, raising and widening the Wadden Sea dike between Eemshaven and Delfzijl over a distance of twelve kilometers, execution of various Room for the River projects, continued work on the reinforcement of the 33-kilometer long Markermeer dike and work commenced on the reinforcement of the 26-kilometer long Houtrib dike located between Enkhuizen and Lelystad. ‚ ‚ Outside of the Netherlands, we were active with the mangrove restoration project in Central Java, Indonesia (see CSR report 2016, page 40).