Mangroves trap sediment and are the first coastal defence line for many coastal areas. Unfortunately, mangrove coasts worldwide are eroding due to deforestation, exposing local communities to flood hazards. In Demak, Indonesia, a Building with Nature approach was chosen to counteract erosion. Permeable dams were built on the foreshore to attenuate waves and restore the sediment balance. The dams have increased the bed level locally and mangroves expand after construction. A new project called MuMaCo (Mussels as Mangrove facilitators for Coastal defence) is launched to integrate mussel aquaculture into the mangrove rehabilitation project in Demak. Mussels increase the roughness and diameter of the bamboo poles, which could increase their wave attenuation capacity. Moreover, mussel culture gives the local communities an economic incentive to sustain the structures. This thesis describes and quantifies how mussels' growth influences the forces acting on bamboo poles. Small-scale experiments are performed in the wave flume of the Delft University of Technology on a scale of 1:3 and 1:6. Physical models were used for experiments with steady flow and waves. The steady flow experiments cover a range of Reynolds (Re) numbers between 10^3 and 10^4 to seek the drag crisis. Single mussel covered cylinders for both scales are compared to smooth cylinders and cylinders with an equivalent diameter. For the wave experiments, cnoidal waves with Keulegan-Carpenter ($KC$) numbers ranging from 3 to 113 that correspond with measured waves in Demak are chosen. Moreover, only mussel covered cylinders are compared to a smooth cylinder for a scale of 1:6. During the experiments, the flow velocity, force, and surface elevation are measured, and the drag and inertia coefficients are obtained with the help of the Morison equation. The drag coefficient shows a clear relationship with the Reynolds numbers for steady flow. Although the drag coefficients display the same qualitative behavior as in other studies in the literature, the drag coefficients of the smooth cylinder are more than 40 % larger than in the literature. This is probably due to large variations in the offset of the velocity meters (EMS) during the experiments. The large mussels show higher drag coefficients than the smooth cylinder. For the wave experiments, the drag coefficients show good correspondence to other studies in the literature, but the inertia coefficients are a factor two larger than expected for smooth cylinders. Treating the peak and trough of the cnoidal wave as individual sinusoidal waves shows similar results and suggest that cnoidal waves can be represented by KC numbers, as it is done for linear waves. The best fit to the literature values was found by solving the Morison equation with the measured force with the depth-integrated velocity squared and acceleration from the Fenton theory. This suggests that the results of the wave experiments have been uncertain due to inaccuracies in the EMS recordings. This thesis presents a method to schematize mussels for laboratory experiments and provides a qualitative comparison of the forces acting on poles with and without mussels

In recent years, the interest in integrating shore protection with the local ecosystems has increased. In comparison with the traditional reinforced embankments, integrated shores form a gradual transition from land to water where shore vegetation can establish itself. These nature-friendly shores have a positive impact upon the water quality, flora and fauna and the amenities of the shore. Some of the benefits of vegetation are its capability of reducing the hydrodynamic loads on the shore and its ability to increase the soil strength against erosion. Both effects have been investigated in detail in previous research and have been implemented for coastal protection designs in sandy coastal settings. But a designing tool for cohesive shorelines in lake environments is still missing. In this research, the different aspects important for the erosion of a vegetated cohesive shoreline are studied and the first steps towards a process-based design tool are taken. The model results show that the dominant processes for erosion can be found at the point of wave breaking and at the start of the run-up, as both combinations give the highest induced bed shear stresses. This can be used for a strategic placement of vegetation to dampen the wave impact and reinforce the soil through the roots. There are situations in which a partially vegetated shore is sufficient to withstand the daily wave attack. This allows the vegetation to grow naturally to full strength, which is required in a storm situation. In this way a financial benefit can be reached as well as a healthier vegetated shore, as a large part of the vegetation has grown naturally.

A combination of the growth of the offshore wind energy sector and the decline in both species richness and species abundance in the North Sea has inspired the goal to use the scour protection in wind farms as a means to enhance marine life. Present research has focused on general changes which are to be applied to benefit marine life. However, it lacks practical applications of changes to the design of the scour protection and fails to quantify the expected effects of these changes. In this study the extend to which marine life in the North Sea can be enhanced through improvements to the scour protection design for monopiles in wind farms is researched by comparing the habitat suitability in three situations (North Sea in absence of wind farms, North Sea with wind farms and scour protections as currently designed, and wind farms with enhanced scour protections) for four indicator species (Atlantic cod, European lobster, flat oyster, and the Ross worm). For the third situation (the enhanced scour protections), several habitat enhancements as well as some stock enhancements have been proposed and their expected effects and costs have been studied. The availability of hard substrate and the absence of (seabed disturbing) fisheries is what makes wind farms suitable compared to a sandy sea bed. These habitats can be further improved by using a large and narrow grading to provide shelter and stable attachment material and by placement of additional elements such as piles of rock, (concrete) tubes, and shell filled nets. Species which are not likely to successfully colonize the wind farm, such as the European lobster and flat oyster, are to be introduced by humans through stock enhancements.