Striking a balance between nature and navigation infrastructure

Following a two-year effort, a PIANC working group chaired by Principal Victor Magar has published its “Guide for Applying Working with Nature to Navigation Infrastructure Projects,” which raises awareness of natural ecosystems and inspires the navigation infrastructure community to embrace natural systems in the engineering design process. It also promotes expanded acceptance of PIANC’s Working with Nature (WwN) approach, a framework to design new infrastructure or rehabilitate existing infrastructure in a way that works with natural processes. This approach serves to enhance ecosystem viability and resilience and minimise negative anthropogenic impacts to the environment.

The working group was convened by PIANC’s Environmental Commission (EnviCom); its members are recognised experts in their profession and represent several countries.

“We are very proud of this guide,” Victor says. “The case studies we’ve assembled are particularly significant, as they provide our users with hands-on examples of how WwN can be applied to large-scale navigational infrastructure projects around the world.”