Van Oord, Ecowende to Enhance Biodiversity Hollandse Kust West Wind Farm

Van Oord and Ecowende have signed a contract for the design, construction and installation of tree reefs and oyster hubs at Ecowende’s Hollandse Kust West wind farm (HKW, site VI) in the North Sea.

According to Van Oord, this is the first time tree reefs will be implemented on such a large scale in the North Sea, enhancing the biodiversity in natural way.

Tree reefs are circular, biodegradable reef structures made from discarded fruit trees, which are relatively sturdy and stable. The trees will be collected from the Dutch fruit cultivation sector and are usually cleared as soon as they start producing less fruit.

The tree reef concept was developed by the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), whose pilot in the Wadden Sea showed that the complex structure of fruit trees can offer marine life a highly valuable habitat.

A large North Sea tree reef is expected to create habitats for even more benthic and fish species, enhancing local biodiversity.

Van Oord and Ecowende will also collaborate on constructing oyster hubs at the wind farm.

This ecological innovation was developed in collaboration with Waardenburg Ecology. The hubs consist of adult oysters of varying sizes placed on designated cable