Sustainability report 2019

25

CREATING LASTING RESILIENCE

STRENGTHENING OUR CONTRIBUTION: ACTION TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS IMPACTS

Delfland Sand Motor One of our landmark projects is the Sand Motor project on the Delfland coast, designed to counter coastal erosion. In 2011, 21.5 million m³ of sand was deposited in a carefully designed peninsula. Wind, tides and currents are now distributing the sand naturally in dunes and beaches along the coast. Several years down the line, we are able to see the extent to which expectations about beneficial environmental impact are being realized. The sand dunes are thriving, and providing habitat for a wide range of plants, birds, and even seals. The area also offers a beautiful coastal environment for the local community to enjoy. Demak, Indonesian Mangroves Demak, Indonesia is the location of an extensive coastal restoration project following the principles of Building with Nature. The area has experienced widespread flooding and subsidence in recent years. Villages have completely disappeared, and many people experience frequent flooding of their homes. In 2015, work began to restore the coastline of the village of Demak. EcoShape’s Building with Nature approach focused on harnessing elements of the local environment. Extensive permeable dams have been built that break the waves, and allow tidal water to move while minimizing erosion. Large-scale work has been undertaken to restore and rebuild the mangrove forests, which provide natural protection against flooding and coastal erosion. The work engaged many local stakeholders, including residents, who have received training in how to manage and maintain the landscape over the long term. It was recently featured by the Global Commission on Adaptation in its flagship report intended to highlight examples of pioneering projects in order to accelerate their adoption elsewhere. Eemshaven-Delfzijl dike reinforcement Rising sea levels, climate change, earth quakes and subsidence were all drivers for Boskalis to support the Dutch Flood Protection Program, an alliance of Rijkswaterstaat (the Dutch Directorate General for Public Works and Water Management). In 2019 we completed works on the Eemshaven-Delfzijl dike reinforcement project that involved raising and widening the Wadden Sea dike between Eemshaven and Delfzijl over a distance of twelve kilometers, as well as making the dike earthquake-proof. The operations focused on reinforcing primary dikes in a more innovative and robust manner to protect land and communities from flooding.

Our business contributes towards the delivery of the UN SDGs, in particular SDG Goal 9, industry, innovation and infrastructure and Goal 13, climate action. Through the projects we deliver we aim to create shared value by safeguarding people and nature from the impacts of climate change and at the same time, grow our business in a sustainable way. To increase our ability to contribute to SDG 13, over the coming years we will work to share our adaptation knowledge and experience with others and explore new types of climate change adaptation project financing, to expand our capabilities and service offering to deliver profitable climate change adaptation projects. In addition, we will work to support our clients in the sector to deliver sustainable projects. We will do this through our own emissions reduction efforts (see page 30) and by incorporating sustainable solutions (low carbon or nature based solution) into our commercial offerings for climate adaptation projects.

SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2019 – BOSKALIS