Mapping NID Solutions: An Exploration of the Rich North Sea Toolbox

A properly planned roll-out of offshore wind and supporting grid infrastructure can provide opportunities to sustain the protection and restoration of nature in European seas. One way to achieve this is by integrating innovative solutions such as Nature Inclusive Design (NID) alongside offshore renewable energy infrastructure. NIDs are measures integrated in or added to the design of infrastructure which attempt to minimise risks and increase ecological opportunities by providing direct and indirect positive effects on biodiversity.

With this in mind, in 2022 the Offshore Coalition for Energy and Nature (OCEaN) and the Renewables Grid Initiative launched a webinar series on Nature Inclusive Design applied in offshore energy and grid infrastructure.

Our fourth webinar ‘Mapping NID Solutions’ will dive into the Rich North Sea’s recently launched Toolbox, which allows users to explore nature enhancement projects in offshore wind farms. The webinar will feature speakers from the Rich North Sea (a collaborative programme between the North Sea Foundation and Natuur & Milieu) and ECOncrete, who have a project featured on the Toolbox. In 75 minutes, speakers will provide an overview of their unique experience developing and using to the Toolbox and then open the floor to take questions and comments from participants.

Join us on 13 February 2025 to hear from Eline van Onselen, Marine ecologist at the Rich North Sea, as she dives into how the Toolbox came to be, why we need it at this point in time, and how you can use it. She will explain the process used to build the Toolbox and how anyone can feature their own nature enhancement project on the website. ECOncrete’s Phil Leblanc will then talk about their cable protection project in the Canary Islands using ECOncrete’s Trench Blocks.