The new Working with Nature model means much more than reducing the environmental impact of a project. This way of thinking consists of looking for and identifying how a project can achieve its goals and using natural processes to protect, restore and even improve the environment.
Working with Nature is supported by the international association PIANC and means doing things in a different order:
- Establish the needs and goals of the project;
- understand the environment;
- make meaningful use of the participation of stakeholders to identify collectively any possible benefits for all those involved;
- and prepare the design and the initial proposals for the project to benefit navigation and nature.
This new way of thinking about the goals of a project considers the perspective of the natural system rather than exclusively that of project design, and promotes the effective protection and improvement of the environment in parallel with the economic interests.
In the case of the Port of Seville, navigation on the Guadalquivir estuary and the proximity of the Doñana Park require the implementation of innovative standards to ensure that the port grows within a sustainable context.
