The Markermeer in the Netherlands was an ecological disaster: almost everything died in the dammed water. With the Marker Wadden nature restoration project, artificial islands had to revive ecosystems. That works. The sandbanks give new dynamics: plants grow that attract birds, which attract other life, insects, spiders, snails, shells, plankton, fish and so on. Cool production in Nature:
"As the landscape matured and vegetation appeared, more species arrived. By 2021, there were 47 breeding bird species, and birds that breed elsewhere are stopping at the islands. Some 60,000 migratory birds sought food and shelter there during the year to July 2021. Scientists have also seen rarer species, such as greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) and Eurasian spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia), and have found the nests of gull-billed terns (Gelochelidon nilotica), which have not bred in the Netherlands for decades. Perhaps the greatest surprise was spotting a long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis), which normally breeds in the Arctic.
By acting as a stepping stone between other marshland areas, Marker Wadden is contributing to the bird biodiversity of the region, the researchers concluded in a research summary presented at a meeting last October.
Scientists led by Bakker and Casper van Leeuwen, also at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology, surveyed Marker Wadden’s fish in 2018 and 2019, finding 19 species — as well as large numbers of fish larvae in several of its shallow habitat types. This is a good sign, says Bakker, because it is hoped that the islands will provide nurseries to boost the local fish population.
Further down the food web, according to van Leeuwen, the shelter provided by the island seems to have boosted productivity at every level, compared with what is going on in the open water. This extends from phytoplankton and zooplankton to insects, spiders and molluscs.
Bakker’s team concluded in 2021 that “the ecosystem seems to be developing towards higher ecological integrity that might increase resilience to future perturbations”.
https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-023-01370-w/index.html
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Dear Wil Sillen Thank you for getting your climate love to level 2! We have reached out to Netherlands and requested a response. I will keep you updated on any progress! /Adam We Don't Have Time
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This is a source of inspiration to all of us.
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This kind of work should be our ultimate goal, congratulations to all involved to bring back this lake back to life.
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@joseph_githinji congrats
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Hats off to those who gave the lake it's life back
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Great article. Nature taking its course for better!
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Hopeful!
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I'm happy such an occurrence has been managed
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Such are the news that brighten my day. Surely 'We Can Do It'
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Very interesting project, never heard of something similar before!
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Kudos
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Applauding all those involved in this brilliant project
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This is a great action plan. Congratulations
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That's the most idea for bringing the dead lake into life to sustain other creatures
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@ance_star A commendable job indeed
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thumbs up for people who brought life to this lake
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@annett_michuki it is noble task