ABSTRACT
The developments in coastal management in the Netherlands have seen important changes and adaptations. The decision that was made in 1990, could be seen as an important change from the past. It marked a transition from predominantly hard solutions (groynes, dikes) in coastal engineering to soft solutions to combat erosion, as well as a transition from ad-hoc interventions to a structural annual intervention, signalling a more pro-active stance. This decision, driven for an important part by a coalition of experts, marked the start of a new paradigm in Dutch coastal policy. Despite adaptations and modifi cations in subsequent years, this paradigm itself has not been questioned, and still is accepted as the underlying basis for coastal policy in the Netherlands.
