On the 14th of May we marked an important milestone in the OR ELSE research project with our mid-term event in Zandvoort, a deep dive into the complex, and often invisible, world of sand extraction in the North Sea and beyond. Stakeholders from across Europe came together to reflect on the key insights emerging from our work.
The day opened with a presentation by Arnaud Vander Velpen, who reminded us that sand is not a simple commodity, it is the product of millennia of geological processes. Today, however, demand is accelerating due to population growth, urbanisation, infrastructure development, and adaptation to sea level rise. This is increasing tensions between the need for sand and the ecological services disrupted by its extraction.
Findings from OR ELSE
Project lead Martin Baptist shared current findings on sand extraction in the Netherlands. Due to our sandy coasts and the national policy of strengthening the coastal foundation, the Netherlands extracts relatively large volumes of sand. All OR ELSE PhD candidates and postdocs are still on board and working hard on experiments, measurements and modelling. The first academic articles have already been submitted. We will share updates as soon as they are published!
Exchange and collaboration
Our poster session sparked great conversations between OR ELSE researchers and external partners, underlining the importance of shared knowledge and open data. The serious game, developed by our BUAS colleagues (Kevin Hutchinson), was invited to be played at the Ministry of IenW — a real compliment! Meanwhile, the nature enhancement workshop (facilitated by Fokko van der Goot) allowed space for exchanging ideas and exploring uncertainties.
Cross-border perspectives
The international session with Vera Van Lancker (RBINS, Belgium), Dr. Cormac Walsh (University of Oldenburg, Germany), and Keith Cooper (Cefas, UK) showed that many challenges are shared. Key needs identified included more detailed seabed and habitat maps, harmonised cross-border data, cumulative impact assessments, and long-term governance that acknowledges the limits of our geological resources.
Looking ahead
We concluded the day with a roundtable discussion where speakers and stakeholders (Keith Cooper, Vera Van Lancker, Petra Damsma, Mark van der Hoeven, Cormac Walsh, Ingrid Roos, Kees Stiggelbout, Amerik Schuitemaker, Tamara Talevska and Arnaud Vander Velpen reflected on today’s findings and the road ahead.
A big thank you to all participants, speakers, and researchers for your insights, questions, and energy. We look forward to sharing more as the project progresses — and especially when our first publications go live!