Abstract
The development of offshore wind farms is occurring at an accelerating pace. Meanwhile, the oldest wind farms within the Dutch offshore areas, but also elsewhere in the North Sea, will reach the end of their estimated lifespan of 20-25 years in the next five to ten years. After operation, wind farms need to be decommissioned in accordance with the 1989 resolution of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR). So far ecological aspects of decommissioning have not yet been systematically described or defined. The current study focusses on defining the ecological impacts of several decommissioning strategies and the gaps in the knowledge that still exist and hamper future assessments.