About us

The North Sea once looked completely different. It was full of mussel beds and oyster reefs. But, today, this once vibrant seascape is nearly gone. Nature in the North Sea is under increasing threat from intensive use, disease and climate change.

How can we build a strong and resilient North Sea ecosystem together? The Nature Regeneration North Sea program is a pioneering initiative dedicated to this goal and building upon existing policy. We’re working toward a healthy balance between nature and human use.

Our approach is based on learning by doing. We gather valuable insights and experiences that help us better understand and protect nature in the North Sea. We work together to restore biodiversity. And to create space for sustainable use through innovative approaches and partner collaboration.

Strengthening the entire North Sea ecosystem begins with very small sea creatures: oysters. By releasing them into the North Sea on a large scale and stimulating oyster reef formation, the otherwise sandy and stark seabed once again becomes an attractive location for all kinds of marine life. Lobsters, crabs and other bottom-dwellers (benthos) can find shelter and food, and can reproduce. The living reefs attract fish, which in turn serve as food for North Sea birds. This is the foundation for a robust ecosystem that strengthens the entire North Sea.

When establishing the Nature Regeneration North Sea initiative, the Ministry of LVVN sought partners with the expertise and experience to ensure targeted, effective solutions. EcoShape’s Build with Nature approach and The Rich North Sea’s deep insights into restoring sea life populations made them ideal partners in this public-private alliance.

Funding from the European Union enables us to launch large-scale projects, conduct experiments and identify effective nature-strengthening measures. We aim to spread our impact as far and wide as possible through collaboration, knowledge sharing and effective partnerships.

The North Sea extends beyond our borders. We share this marine ecosystem with eight other countries, who also play a crucial role. We actively collaborate with international partners within the Greater North Sea Basin Initiative (GNSBI) and by launching cross-border projects. We share all of the knowledge we acquire through The Rich North Sea’s publicly accessible Toolbox.