Limiting impact on the environment  
Nature will be lost with the construction of Maasvlakte 2. By means of a number of compensatory measures, the impact on the environment will be limited as much as possible. This will be done in accordance with Dutch and European provisions. The Birds and Habitats Directive is paramount here. In this directive, the European Union states which areas must be protected so that the habitats of specific flora and fauna are conserved.
 
Compensation
The compensation for nature that has to make way for the construction of Maasvlakte 2 consists of the creation of a sea bed protection area and the extension of the dunes.

The sea bed protection area used to be called a marine reserve. This wrongly suggests that the area in question is one in which many restrictions are in place to limit human activities. The focus, however, is on protecting the sea bed and providing rest areas for protected bird species.

 
Scale
The sea bed protection area will cover an area of 31,250 hectares at the most. A maximum 100 hectares will be earmarked for extra dunes near Delfland and then there will be a further 23 hectares at the most for the foredune at the Brouwersdam and/or on the reclaimed land.

You can find more information on compensation to the natural world under the theme Nature and the Environment.