Deltas and coasts are attractive areas to live in and therefore densely populated. However, they are threatened by a variety of human impacts, sea level rise and climate change at high rates of change. Dealing with these threats requires a solid understanding of the complex interactions between physical, biological and chemical processes and human interventions which often affect critical processes like e.g., rates of subsidence and loss of ecosystem services. NIOZ research targets to improve the management strategies by following a four-step approach to addressing and mitigating these challenges: Observing ecosystem responses – Based on observations from the field and long-term data sets of remote sensing, ecosystem responses to changes and (human) interventions are assessed; a particular integrative class of observers is formed by the shorebirds that connect various Wadden and other marine systems in the course of their annual cycles and connect the marine realm with the fastest changing biota on Earth, the high arctic tundra. The capacity to instrument these birds with microtags enables them to tell us interpretable stories of change. Understanding drivers – Based on a sound experimental methodology and fundamental insights, we develop better understanding of the complex interactions among physical, biological and chemical processes, and human interventions, and how they determine key marine processes such as ecosystem establishment and restoration, and the persistence of ecosystem services. Predicting impacts – Using our arsenal of techniques ranging from evidence-based in situ measurements, via fundamental knowledge combined with well-constrained experiments, to computational modelling techniques, we aim to predict how marine ecosystems will develop under pressure. Examples include human mitigation measures, continued pressure from expanding economic activities, continuing sea level rise, as well as assessing and predicting impacts of loss of ecosystem services in deltas; Optimizing solutions – We aim to contribute to designing a range of techniques to mitigate both ongoing human impacts, improve nature restoration and compensation (e.g. building with nature), provide insights in the growth and applications of marine biomass, and develop modern approaches for food production to ensure human health, safety and well-being, in marine ecosystems.