NLWKN Lower Saxony Coastal and Island Protection Funding Program

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Enriched Lower Saxony · Found: 2026-03-10 13:45

Niedersaechsischer Landesbetrieb fuer Wasserwirtschaft, Kuestenschutz und Naturschutz (NLWKN) funding program for coastal and island protection. Covers disaster prevention, coastal community safety, dike construction, beach nourishment, and flood protection infrastructure along the North Sea coast.

Source: https://nlwkn.niedersachsen.de/startseite/wasserwirtschaft/forderprogramme/kusten_und_inselschutz/foerderung-des-kuesten-und-inselschutzes-45530.html

Funding Details

Funder: NLWKN — Niedersächsischer Landesbetrieb für Wasserwirtschaft, Küsten- und Naturschutz
Funding Goal: Funding for coastal and island protection measures along the Lower Saxony North Sea coast, covering flood defence infrastructure including dike construction and reinforcement, beach nourishment, storm surge protection works, and related coastal engineering measures to protect coastal communities and ecosystems.
Funding Amount: Funded under the federal GAK (Joint Task for Agricultural Structures and Coastal Protection) co-financing framework; specific rates vary by project type and location.
Deadline: Rolling basis (Rolling)
How to Apply: Applications submitted to NLWKN (Niedersächsischer Landesbetrieb für Wasserwirtschaft, Küsten- und Naturschutz). Projects must be approved before commencement.
Target Region: Lower Saxony North Sea coast (including East Frisian Islands)
Contact: NLWKN — Niedersächsischer Landesbetrieb für Wasserwirtschaft, Küsten- und Naturschutz, website: nlwkn.niedersachsen.de
Last Checked: 2026-05-07 07:53

Application Checklist

Eligibility

Applicant must be a water/soil association (Wasser- und Bodenverband), municipality, or other public-law body — NGOs not eligible

Project Scope

Project must be located in Lower Saxony North Sea coastal zone including East Frisian Islands
Funded activities: dike construction/reinforcement, storm surge protection, beach/dune nourishment, island protection infrastructure

Required Documents

Application must be submitted to NLWKN before project commencement

Constraints

GAK federal-state co-financing rules apply

Summary

The NLWKN Lower Saxony Coastal and Island Protection Funding Programme provides grants for flood protection and coastal defence infrastructure along the approximately 400 km Lower Saxony North Sea coast, including the East Frisian Islands. The programme is administered by the Niedersächsischer Landesbetrieb für Wasserwirtschaft, Küsten- und Naturschutz (NLWKN) under the federal-state GAK (Gemeinschaftsaufgabe Verbesserung der Agrarstruktur und des Küstenschutzes) co-financing framework. Funded measures include construction and reinforcement of dikes and flood protection embankments, storm surge barriers, beach and dune nourishment, island protection works, and other coastal engineering infrastructure necessary to protect coastal communities from flooding and erosion. Disaster prevention and protection of coastal settlements from storm surges are primary objectives. Eligible applicants are water and soil associations (Wasser- und Bodenverbände), municipalities, and other public-law bodies with legal responsibility for coastal protection in Lower Saxony. Private organisations, companies, and NGOs are not eligible to apply. This is exclusively a public-sector infrastructure programme. The programme operates on a rolling basis and is funded on an ongoing basis under the GAK framework. Lower Saxony's North Sea coast — including the Wadden Sea, East Frisian Islands, and estuarine zones — is the exclusive geographic focus. For the marine-conservation profile, the programme is topically adjacent in that it protects the North Sea coastal environment. However, it funds hard engineering infrastructure for flood defence, not ecological conservation or biodiversity-focused projects. For OPF-v2 and plastic-circular profiles, there is no thematic overlap with plastic waste, recycling, or circular economy.

Historical Context

Programme has operated continuously under the German GAK framework. NLWKN administers coastal protection for the Lower Saxony coast including the East Frisian Islands.

Why it was added

Core NLWKN coastal protection funding program for Lower Saxony

Sources

https://nlwkn.niedersachsen.de/startseite/wasserwirtschaft/forderprogramme/kusten_und_inselschutz/foerderung-des-kuesten-und-inselschutzes-45530.html

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