Nature-Inclusive Design: a catalogue for offshore wind infrastructure

The Dutch Government stimulates nature enhancement within offshore wind farms. Currently, permit holders must take measures to increase the suitable habitat for species naturally occurring in the North Sea. To support wind farm permit holders to design their wind farms in a nature-inclusive way, a catalogue of nature-inclusive design options has been developed by Witteveen+Bos and Wageningen Marine Research. This catalogue shows relevant nature-inclusive design options for target species, the expected construction costs, and possible suppliers and manufacturers. The focus of the study was on native species that are under pressure, such as European oyster (Ostrea edulis) and cod (Gadus morhua). At the same time, many other species can also benefit from the measures. In addition, the catalogue focuses on a number of commercial species such as Edible crab (Cancer pagurus) and European lobster (Homarus gammarus) since there is also a lot of focus on co-using offshore wind farms for small scale fisheries. The catalogue was commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.