Artificials islands bring nature back to Dutch lake
- 5 years ago
MARKERMEER LAKE, NETHERLANDS — An ambitious project led by a Dutch non-governmental organization has built five artificial islands from silt to restore nature to one of Europe's largest freshwater lakes.
The Markermeer lake northeast of Amsterdam used to teem with an abundance of wildlife. It was created as part of a land reclamation plan that was scrapped over concerns it would dry out land around it and destroy an important site for migratory birds.
However, silt from a dam used to create the Markermeer clouded the lake's waters, suffocating the algae that formed the base of its aquatic food chain.
Dutch ngo Natuurmonumenten aimed to change that by silt to create five artificial islands. The five islands were built over a period of two-and-a-half years.
Boskalis, the company that built the islands, dug a 1,200 meter trench on the main artificial island to allow silt to be drained by ocean currents to form marshy areas with fertile soil.
According to a report by AFP and articles on Natuurmonumenten and Boskalis's websites, these areas are now home to birds such as sparrows, the greylag goose, the common tern and the night heron.
An abundance of plankton in the water provides a guaranteed source of food for the birds.
Experts have also counted 127 differents kinds of plants on the islands, most of them brought by windborne seeds.
The main artificial island contains three wooden bird observatories, footbridges and unpaved roads and is open to the public. The other four islands are reserved only for wildlife and plants.
The Markermeer lake northeast of Amsterdam used to teem with an abundance of wildlife. It was created as part of a land reclamation plan that was scrapped over concerns it would dry out land around it and destroy an important site for migratory birds.
However, silt from a dam used to create the Markermeer clouded the lake's waters, suffocating the algae that formed the base of its aquatic food chain.
Dutch ngo Natuurmonumenten aimed to change that by silt to create five artificial islands. The five islands were built over a period of two-and-a-half years.
Boskalis, the company that built the islands, dug a 1,200 meter trench on the main artificial island to allow silt to be drained by ocean currents to form marshy areas with fertile soil.
According to a report by AFP and articles on Natuurmonumenten and Boskalis's websites, these areas are now home to birds such as sparrows, the greylag goose, the common tern and the night heron.
An abundance of plankton in the water provides a guaranteed source of food for the birds.
Experts have also counted 127 differents kinds of plants on the islands, most of them brought by windborne seeds.
The main artificial island contains three wooden bird observatories, footbridges and unpaved roads and is open to the public. The other four islands are reserved only for wildlife and plants.