Siatki

A thriving beaver population is threatening the stability of the Netherlands' sea defences. The Mammal Society has brought together other wildlife groups to work out how to protect these important water-blocking dykes from the small but potentially destructive semi-aquatic rodents. Beavers play an important ecological role in the Netherlands and were initially brought in to increase biodiversity. The beaver-breeding program began in 1988, and since then the beaver population has grown exponentially. There are now an estimated 700 beavers residing in the country's streams and canals. Triumphant mating habits combined with the beavers' ability to breed so successfully in the Dutch countryside mean they have been moving beyond the southern province of Limburg and entering towns and cities that may not be prepared for the influx. With the Dutch beaver population expected to hit around 7,000 by 2032, the need to take pre-emptive action is now a very important theme.

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The University Campus in Berlin-Adlershof is well known for the many research institutions present in its area. One of those is the HZB Helmholtz - Zentrum Berlin, where a prototype of a linear accelerator with energy recovery is placed. In this building, electrons are accelerated to almost the speed of light using a great deal of energy. After passing through a high-speed path, the electrons are to be recaptured in bERLinPro and their energy recovered. Therefore the hall is protected by a reinforced soil structure made with the wrap-around system. In the last times, some foxes started to dig and excavate tunnels inside the embankment, creating some instability problems.

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Kishorn Port is located on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands and plays a major role in the construction, maintenance and decommissioning of oil and gas rigs. As the energy sector moves toward a more sustainable future, the port was keen to extend its capabilities regarding the construction of floating foundations and other infrastructure for offshore wind projects. In 2025 the port secured £24m in government funding to expand it’s dry dock to allow it to accommodate deeper water berthing which will increase the port’s capability to berth deeper draft vessels and structures associated with offshore wind development. As part of the extension of the dry dock, significant blasting of the surrounding rock was required which resulted in a new rock face approximately 320m in length and 35m high encircling the new basin. Following a review of the condition of the newly exposed rock consisting of the Applecross Formation, a pebbly sandstone formation, it was determined by the project designers that rockfall protection would need to be installed to mitigate the potential for small rocks of 65mm diameter falling into the working area within the newly extended dry dock. Given the marine environment, rockfall netting with an enhanced corrosion protection was also required in order to meet the project’s 60 year design life.

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