Minister De Ridder wants fossil-rich sand for beaches: “I am a passionate fossil hunter myself”

The minister has instructed the people of Maritime Services and Coast (MDK) to give preference to sand that comes from fossil-rich areas in the new specifications for reclamation sand. Although that is not as obvious as it seems. “New specifications must be drawn up in September 2025. But to use fossil-rich sand, we also need an environmental impact report and federal approval.”

De Ridder hopes that things will turn out well, because she is a passionate fossil hunter herself. “I’ve been working on that since I was a child,” she says. “I have also often searched on the coast, where I often visited with my parents at the time. Over the years I have found, among other things, a mammoth tooth, a spearhead and several shark teeth.”