A newly published research article, Overcoming Financial Barriers to Ecological Restoration - The Case of the Marker Wadden, is available in open access in the Ecological Engineering journal.

A joint effort between REST-COAST partners from Deltares and TU Delft, along with the NetworkNature project, the paper emphasises the critical need for ecosystem restoration in reversing biodiversity loss and in addressing climate change challenges. Yet, securing funding remains one of the main barriers to the implementation of restoration actions at scale. 

This study examines the financial strategies that enabled the realisation of the Marker Wadden, a large-scale project aimed at revitalising the Markermeer, a degraded freshwater lake in the Dutch delta.

 The Marker Wadden offers a unique case where public and private actors came together to co-finance and co-develop this project. By analysing how this collaboration was structured — from initial concept through to implementation — the research identifies key financial and institutional enablers that may inform similar efforts globally. As such, lessons learnt from this case have been an inspiration during the development of financial strategies for the REST-COAST projects.

This article contributes to the growing literature on funding and financing nature-based solutions by highlighting practical mechanisms to overcome financial constraints. It sheds light on the role of early-stage, pre-investment visioning, the potential trade-offs that come from financial choices, and the opportunities from multi-actor partnerships.

The full article can be found here.