With the comprehensive scientific basis, we expect that accelerated upscaling of nature enhancement in wind farms is feasible.

The aim of The Rich North Sea is to encourage the construction of offshore wind farms to go hand in hand with nature enhancement going forward. The programme does this by conducting pilots in and around offshore wind parks. These projects are designed and set up in such a way that they contribute to building scientific knowledge on nature-enhancing construction in the North Sea. The purpose of the science component within The Rich North Sea is to:

Identify pilot-wide knowledge questions;
Promote consistency within the programme;
Enhance knowledge sharing;
Accelerate market innovations.

We are developing a monitoring plan for all The Rich North Sea locations. Monitoring generates knowledge on biodiversity increase and the associated risk and success factors when placing and developing live reefs.

Through the project, we actively seek collaboration with relevant (international) scientific programmes focusing on the same or similar topics. This way, we avoid working at cross-purposes, we make the best use of available resources, and maximise scientific output.

Scientific Council
To ensure the scientific basis of The Rich North Sea, the programme is supported by a scientific council. This council consists of individuals with experience and background knowledge of North Sea wildlife, offshore wind farms, and building with and for the natural environment. The council has various purposes:

Knowledge exchange between the programme and various initiatives aimed at building with and for nature within science and the wind sector;
Securing synergy to ensure the programme goals and implementation are (and remain) in line with goals of key knowledge parties and stakeholders engaged in nature-enhancing construction in the North Sea;
Advice − solicited and unsolicited − on individual elements of the programme, including quality, scientific output.