Boskalis Sustainability Report 2020

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ACCELERATING IMPACT THROUGH POSITIVE COLLABORATION

Managing our impact on the environment SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2020 – BOSKALIS We see partnerships and collaboration as the backbone of our nature-based approach to protecting and enhancing coastal ecosystems. We will achieve much more by working together with others, sharing our knowledge and learning from each other. Our project in Panama (see page 66) is a good example of what can be achieved through this approach.

Our longstanding collaborations with knowledge institutes and academic institutions enable us to stay connected with the latest available knowledge. By doing so, we aim to add value to projects, especially those located in complex environments, by managing the risks that impact biodiversity. In 2020 we continued our approach of working with others by starting collaborative projects with Wetlands International and IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). This is in addition to our continued contribution to and forward planning for EcoShape. WETLANDS INTERNATIONAL Early 2020 we signed a strategic agreement with Wetlands International, the global NGO dedicated to the safeguarding and restoring of wetlands, intensifying our joint collaboration. Our work together explores the potential to enhance and restore coastal wetland habitats, which not only support coastal protection, biodiversity and fisheries but store some of the world’s largest quantities of carbon. The agreement will see us initially focusing on the development of a low-carbon future for Boskalis, as well as facilitate the accounting, avoidance, reduction and in-setting of our carbon footprint. See page 58 for details of our collaboration on ‘blue carbon’ ecosystems, which can contribute to climate targets, adaptation and biodiversity conservation.