North Bull Island
Tomas Buitendijk discusses the North Bull Island, and how wind, water, and sediment deposits combined created a space of significant cultural and ecological value, with only limited human involvement.
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The creation of the North Bull Island
Tomas Buitendijk describes the accidental creation and 200-year growth of the North Bull Island. ~ Source: Recorded by James L. Smith of the Ports, Past and Present Project ~ Creator: Tomas Buitendijk and James L. Smith ~ Date: 2022Cultural value for coastal communities
Tomas Buitendijk discusses the value of coastal infrastructure for communities, positive and negative, and the role and future of the North Bull Island as a repository of cultural value and utility. ~ Source: Recorded by James L. Smith of the Ports,...Text
Dr Tomas Buitendijk is a postdoctoral researcher in UCD’s School of Biology and Environmental Science working on the Ecostructure project.
Tomas spoke to James L. Smith about the formation of the North Bull Island behind Dublin Bay's North Bull Wall, cultural value for coastal communities, and what the cultural legacy of the island is four visitors and locals today.
He uses the example of the accidental creation of the island in the early 1800s to discuss what “working with nature” really means: giving up control in the pursuit of human and environmental benefit. In this particular case wind, water, and sediment deposits together created a space of significant cultural and ecological value, with only limited human involvement. He uses his research for Ecostructure to explore how this example can be used as an evidence base for the use of Nature Based Solutions in other contexts.