Belgium builds innovative dune barriers to shield coast from rising seas and powerful storms

When Storm Benjamin battered Belgium’s coastline in late October, the results varied dramatically along different stretches of beach. While most areas suffered severe erosion that carved jagged, cliff-like formations into the sand, one 750-meter section in Raversijde stood remarkably resilient against the pounding waves.

The secret lies in Belgium’s innovative “dune-by-dike” defense system, where artificial dunes work alongside existing seawalls to create a double layer of coastal protection. Located in the seaside city of Ostend, this experimental project represents a new approach to defending vulnerable coastlines from increasingly violent storms and rising sea levels. The constructed dunes act as a “soft barrier” that absorbs and dissipates wave energy before it reaches the backup “hard barrier” of traditional dikes behind them.

This cutting-edge coastal defense is part of the Flemish government’s Living Labs initiative, which tests nature-based solutions to climate challenges. Toon Verwaest, a coastal engineer with Flanders Hydraulics Research who coordinates the project, explains how this dual-barrier system performed exactly as designed during Storm Benjamin’s assault. While contractors scrambled to repair damaged beaches elsewhere along Belgium’s coast, the Raversijde site required minimal intervention.

As climate change intensifies coastal flooding risks across Europe, Belgium’s dune-by-dike approach offers a promising model for other vulnerable shorelines. The system demonstrates how combining natural coastal processes with engineered solutions can provide more resilient protection than traditional seawalls alone, potentially revolutionizing how coastal communities prepare for an uncertain climate future.