A new international study finds that if just 1% of the projected $6 trillion (approximately €5.1 trillion) in global offshore wind investments from now until 2050 were allocated to marine protection and restoration, millions of square kilometers of marine ecosystems could be restored.
The scientists involved in the study urge governments to mandate the allocation of a fixed proportion of project investment to marine biodiversity protection through permit conditions or non-price criteria in tenders.
The research was conducted by an international team of scientists led by the “Rich North Sea” program and the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ). It emphasizes that due to insufficient funding and political will, key global targets for nature conservation and restoration—including the UN goal of restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030—are becoming increasingly difficult to achieve.
Because offshore wind already has nature-enhancing projects and some tenders have proposed integrated nature-inclusive offshore wind projects, the authors note that the sector is fully capable of becoming a leader in rebuilding marine biodiversity on a large scale while mitigating climate change.
Lead author Christiaan van Sluis of the “Rich North Sea” project stated: “Offshore wind not only has a unique opportunity to support the energy transition but can also become the first marine industry to make a truly nature-positive contribution to large-scale ecosystem restoration.” He added that incorporating smart biodiversity requirements into offshore wind permitting and tender procedures now could reverse biodiversity loss with only a small fraction of total investment.
The study mentions that although offshore wind permitting fees and non-financial tender criteria are part of site/project allocation procedures, governments rarely mandate investment in broader marine biodiversity goals. The Dutch nature-inclusive tender project for Hollandse Kust West site VI is an exception, requiring participation from marine fishery alliances but limited to its area. The study points out that embedding such requirements in permit conditions, combined with timely, positive, and balanced passive and active restoration measures from marine fishery alliances, could promote marine restoration on a large square-kilometer scale. This approach can simultaneously address the climate and biodiversity crises, ensuring marine restoration progresses in parallel with the expansion of renewable energy.
