Movie: Results of the project Improving Transport and Accessibility through new Communication Technologies. This project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund within the Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme.
YOUTUBE
The international Wadden Sea is an estuarine tidal area along the North Sea coasts of The Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. It is characteristic for regions with sandy coasts and a medium tidal range. Fifty barrier islands separate the Wadden Sea from the North Sea, and an offshore transition zone to the North Sea. The tidal flats of the Wadden Sea form the largest unbroken stretchof mudflats worldwide. The present form of the Wadden Sea is still mainly the result of natural forces, although since the Middle Ages man has changed the Wadden Sea landscape by building dykes and reclaiming land. The Wadden Sea is an important nursery area for fish, a foraging and resting habitat for seals, and a foraging habitat for migrating waders. The Wadden Sea, including large parts of the islands, is a fully nature protected area and designated as a natural World Heritage site in 2009 (Wolff, 2013). The research group Marine Wetlands Studies at Stenden University is focusing on the sustainable development of tourism in the area. Current research has the purpose to get insight in to the effects of the World Heritage Status, in particular the natural values of the area, on future tourism development.
This chapter is about the development of tourism in the Dutch Wadden Sea Region in combination with nature conservation. The main question is whether they have a common future. There are some future points stated:- Nature and landscape of the Wadden Sea are the main pull factors for the tourism development. - Future tourism development requires a clear strategy that is supported by various stakeholders- Raising awareness about the natural values results in more visitors and public support for nature conservation- The World Heritage status facilitates cooperation between local entrepreneurs and nature conservation organisationsOverall the conclusion can be drawn that, stimulated by the World Heritage status of the Wadden Sea and facilitated by a trilateral Sustainable Tourism Strategy, tourism development and nature conservation and can mutually benefit. Raising awareness about the natural values of the Wadden Sea will result in more visitors to the region and contributes to an emotional attachment to the protected area and public support for the conservation programs.
Circular BIOmass CAScade to 100% North Sea Region (NSR) economic activity and growth are mostly found in urban areas. Rural NSR regions experience population decline and negative economic growth. The BIOCAS project expects revitalizing and greening of rural areas go hand in hand. BIOCAS will develop rural areas of the NSR into smart specialized regions for integrated and local valorization of biomass. 13 Commercial running Bio-Cascade-Alliances (BCA’s) will be piloted, evaluated and actively shared in the involved regions. These proven concepts will accelerate adoption of high to low value bio-cascading technologies and businesses in rural regions. The project connects 18 regional initiatives around technologies, processes, businesses for the conversion of biomass streams. The initiatives collaborate in a thematic approach: Through engineering, value chain assessments, BCA’s building, partners tackle challenges that are shared by rural areas. I.e. unsustainable biomass use, a mineral surplus and soil degradation, deprivation of potentially valuable resources, and limited involvement of regional businesses and SMEs in existing bio-economy developments. The 18 partners are strongly embedded in regional settings, connected to many local partners. They will align stakeholders in BCA’s that would not have cooperated without BIOCAS interventions. Triple helix, science, business and governmental input will realize inclusive lasting bio cascade businesses, transforming costly waste to resources and viable business.Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme: €378,520.00, fEC % 50.00%1/07/17 → 30/06/21
Post-earthquake structural damage shows that wall collapse is one of the most common failure mechanisms in unreinforced masonry buildings. It is expected to be a critical issue also in Groningen, located in the northern part of the Netherlands, where human-induced seismicity has become an uprising problem in recent years. The majority of the existing buildings in that area are composed of unreinforced masonry; they were not designed to withstand earthquakes since the area has never been affected by tectonic earthquakes. They are characterised by vulnerable structural elements such as slender walls, large openings and cavity walls. Hence, the assessment of unreinforced masonry buildings in the Groningen province has become of high relevance. The abovementioned issue motivates engineering companies in the region to research seismic assessments of the existing structures. One of the biggest challenges is to be able to monitor structures during events in order to provide a quick post-earthquake assessment hence to obtain progressive damage on structures. The research published in the literature shows that crack detection can be a very powerful tool as an assessment technique. In order to ensure an adequate measurement, state-of-art technologies can be used for crack detection, such as special sensors or deep learning techniques for pixel-level crack segmentation on masonry surfaces. In this project, a new experiment will be run on an in-plane test setup to systematically propagate cracks to be able to detect cracks by new crack detection tools, namely digital crack sensor and vision-based crack detection. The validated product of the experiment will be tested on the monument of Fraeylemaborg.
Project aimsNorthSEE aims to achieve greater coherence in Maritime Spatial Planning (processes; MSP) and in Maritime Spatial Plans (outcomes/solutions), capturing synergies and preventing incompatibilities in the North Sea Region (NSR). The project seeks to create better conditions for sustainable development of the area in the fields of shipping, energy and environmental protection. NorthSEE is possible thanks to the financial support from the Interreg North Sea Region programme of the European Union (European Regional Development Fund).Project tasks and resultsTo suggest a multi-level coordination framework capable of supporting ongoing coordination in MSP across the NSR in the long term. To develop an information and planning platform for MSP, enabling planners and stakeholders to share evidence for MSP and test different planning options in the form of scenarios based on real data. The MSP Challenge computer-supported simulation game will became this platform. To increase the capacity of stakeholders in key transnational sectors to actively contribute to MSP To align approaches for taking into account wider environmental issues in MSP To facilitate greater transnational coherence in MSP with respect to offshore energy infrastructure To achieve greater transnational coherence in using MSP to support environmental protection objectives. To facilitate greater transnational coherence in MSP with respect to shipping routes.Our roleThe Academy for Digital Entertainment (ADE) of Breda University of Applied Sciences is a full partner in this project. ADE is responsible for designing and developing the MSP Challenge simulation game concerning the NSR, as well as facilitating its application, all with the aim of developing insights befitting the project aims and thus Maritime Spatial Planning in the North Sea Region (see task 2). We therefore work closely with all NorthSEE partners to define the right requirements and ensure that the simulation game fulfills them. Multiple MSP Challenge sessions are planned to help develop insightful future scenarios and useful planning solutions for the NSR. More information about MSP Challenge is available on NorthSEE (https://northsearegion.eu/northsee) and on its own website (https://www.mspchallenge.info/).
