Holwerd aan Zee, a mega project to reconnect the Wadden Sea with inland waterways in Friesland, will receive 15 million euros from the Post Code Lottery.
Translation by Traci White
The Leeuwarder Courant reports that the funding will go to the Dutch Bird Protection programme. The marsh land in the vicinity of Holwerd, which is a village with around 1,600 inhabitants, are an important breeding ground for a range of species of birds.
Holwerd aan Zee is a mega project which has been in the works since 2014 to break through the sea dike north of the town and restore natural beauty and ecological balance in the area. The main components of the project are to create channels through the salt marshes, a buffer tidal lake and environmental development for fish and birds.
The project is also meant to provide a much needed economic impulse to the town, which has been in decline since the ‘90s despite the nearby ferry hub to Ameland. As the project develops, the area is planning to build a new boulevard, a harbour, vacation homes, a visitor’s centre and to upgrade their pier.
Holwerd aan Zee expects to spend 60 million euros in the first phase of the project. The province of Friesland previously allocated 10 million euros for the project, and the Regional Fund in The Hague will provide 28 million euros.
The 15 million euros from the Post Code Lottery has been made available through the Dream Fund, which provides a large amount of money to one special project each year. Other projects that have recently been given funding from the Dream Fund focused on reproductive rights in Kenya and Ethiopia, monitoring deforestation in the Amazon rain forest, preventing leprosy and stopping poaching in the Antarctic Ocean.
Photo source: Max Pixel
