Brede zoet-zout-overgang (KB-14-001-065)

The Dutch coastal plain was traditionally characterised by gradual salinity gradients. Damming off former sea inlets has brought increased safety to both the Wadden Sea region and the South-western Delta. Also, freshwater provision for agriculture and other functions has strongly increased in many areas. In the course of the 20^th century, the gradual salinity gradients have developed into much sharper salinity boundaries coinciding with sea dikes. In several parts of the Dutch coastal plain there are initiatives aiming at restoration of the traditional broader salinity gradients. The motives for these initiatives vary: from ambitions to be a laboratory for innovative saline crops, to restoration of brackish natural areas, regional branding and economic regeneration, etc. An important question is: what can best be realised where? This depends on the physical, socio-economic, and historical context of the area. The project BREZZO (Broad Fresh-Saline Transitions) aims at supporting promising regional initiatives bottom-up with state-of-the-art knowledge of these fields. In doing so, our goal is to help regional partners in making their initiatives feasible, concrete and locally supported.