The construction of Maasvlakte 2 will have an impact on the Dutch coastline: both near by and farther away. The Maasvlakte 2 Project Organisation has had research conducted into such matters as how land reclamation will impact protected species of flora and fauna inhabiting the North Sea coastline and the Wadden Sea. The findings of these studies revealed that the construction of Maasvlakte 2 would not have any major impacts on these areas.   

Research question 
The question was whether the construction of additional land off the coast of the Province of South Holland would have an impact on the North Sea coastline and in the Wadden Sea in regard to: 
• the supply and removal of silt 
• the number of fish larvae 
Research showed that the construction of Maasvlakte 2 would not have any significant impact on the North Sea coastal zone and the Wadden Sea area.   

The research 
The research followed two tracks. The first consisted of making complex computer calculations of the transport of silt, nutrients and fish larvae toward and into the western Wadden Sea. This transport occurs by means of a coastal flow more than 10 km. wide in which the water flows predominantly northward. A large part of the water from the Rhine, including its silt, is taken northward by this coastal flow along the coast toward the Wadden Sea and the German Bight. 
The second research track was based on workshops and expert recommendations which were being used for drawing up chains of interventions (causes) and impacts (effects). These cause and effect chains then formed the foundation for the Appropriate Assessment for Land Reclamation and established which calculations would be required to determine the impact, in regard to such factors as food chain and habitat, which Maasvlakte 2 would have on protected species in the Wadden Sea.   

Decision-making 
The findings of the research were incorporated in the Appropriate Assessment for Land Reclamation: Subreport on the Wadden Sea and North Sea Coastal Zone. The Appropriate Assessment for Land Reclamation is a legally required study and forms part of the decision-making process for the construction of Maasvlakte 2.