TIDE EMECS 9 Baltimore USA August Management plans for European estuaries for restoring and protecting their ecological functions

Transcription

1 TIDE EMECS 9 Baltimore USA August 2011 Management plans for European estuaries for restoring and protecting their ecological functions

2 INTRODUCTION The TIDE Project

3 The Channel and the North Sea Humber GB North Sea Elbe DE EUROPE Channel Weser DE Scheldt NL,BE

4 TIDE Partners Scheldt NL,BE Rijkswaterstaat Flemish Authorities, Department of Mobility and Public Works Antwerp Port Authority University of Antwerp Elbe DE Weser DE Hamburg Port Authority (Lead Partner) Lower Saxony Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation Agency Lower Saxony Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation Agency Free Hanseatic City of Bremen University of Bremen Humber GB Institute of Estuarine & Coastal Studies, Hull Environment Agency

5 TIDE Objective To turn integrated management and planning into a reality in these four estuaries = working with nature

6 TIDE Financing 3.7 m EUR, supported by 50% by ERDF financed INTERREG IV B North Sea Programme Implemented between January 2010 and December 2012

7 Transnational Cooperation TIDE brings together partners from ports, environmental organizations, local government and researchers Estuaries work with input from Regional Working Groups (experts representing various stakeholders) Transnational working groups are set up for each study topic within TIDE Advice is sought from the transnational Project Advisory Board

8 PRESENTATION OF THE FOUR EUROPEAN ESTUARIES Elbe Weser Scheldt Humber

9 he Elbe Concept for a sustainable development of the Tidal Elbe River as an artery of the metropolitan region Hamburg and beyond Hamburg Dr.-Ing. Hans Peter Dücker Dr.-Ing. Hans-Heinrich Witte Dipl.-Ing. Heinz Glindemann

10 From a «natural» to a shipping estuary

11 Development of the mean high water and mean low water as annual values and 19-yearaverage values at the tide gauge St. Pauli in comparison to the anthropogenic measures and the development of the water surface areas in the port of Hamburg

12 Development of the dredging amounts in the Tidal Elbe River area of Hamburg

13 Sediment management concept River engineering measures as milestones for a future action plan for the Tidal Elbe River The sediment management concept therefore intends to relocate fresh, noncontaminated sediments in areas where there is less possibility for them to return to the place where they were dredged.

14 The Weser

15 Pilot Projects in the Weser Restoration of riverbanks 13 hectare area in lower Weser presently protected from flooding by summer dike Partial opening of dam, stopping agricultural use and reshaping the terrain to allow development of natural tidal floodplain habitats Measures to revitalise aquatic and semi-aquatic ecotops around former branches of Weser Assessment of different options Selection of best possible approach (hydrological and ecological) Southern part of the anabranch Rechter Nebenarm during flood and ebb tide (Credit: KÜFOG 2010)

16 Restoration in the Weser Recreating hard substrate underwater habitats in the Outer Weser Identification of areas suitable for the reestablishment of hard substrate habitats based on: - Historical location of habitats - Current regime - Stability of area - Sediment properties - Potential for colonization - Fishery practices

17 The Scheldt

18 THE SCHELDT km² inhabitants (477 inh/km²)

19 Increasing risks of inundation Profile through the valley

20 Scheldt (Belgium) Area and % intertidal area After P. Meire, 2008

21 After P. Meire, 2008

22 Tide level regulation Depolderisation

23 The Humber

24 Humber Estuary, UK flood risk relative SLR = SLR + isostatic rebound Source: Environment Agency

25 Habitat Creation Restoration / set-back / managed realignment / depolderisation 75ha of 10.6M Public Safety - Economy - Environment Photos: Environment Agency Win-win-win situation

26 Habitat Restoration - Managed Realignment Humber Estuary - Chowder Ness, June 2006

27 THE «TIDE APPROACH» Challenges and perspectives

28 Account for ecological, economic and societal needs Interlink multiple processes, efforts and investments already taking place Use knowledge and solutions generated in previous projects (HARBASINS, SedNet, New!Delta) Link to existing management plans and EU Directives TIDE Approach

29 Increasing sediment transport, requiring more maintenance dredging and improved sediment management Similar Challenges: Sediments

30 Comparison of Sediment Dredging and Relocation Strategies Bringing a central challenge of all four estuaries the sediment dredging and relocation strategies into joint focus: Collection of data regarding traffic areas, maintenance, type of dredging, disposal sites, alternative utilization, etc. Estuary internal evaluations and recommendations

31 Similar Challenges: Ecosystem Functions Endangered estuarine ecosystem functions: flood regulation, coastal protection, water purification, plant and animal habitats

32 Similar Challenges: Frame Conditions Increasingly challenging legal and global economic framework EU Directives (Birds and Habitat, Water Framework) Economic prosperity and big port development Climate change

33 TIDE Focus Areas ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION Zonation schemes Ecosystem Services in the context of TIDE estuaries Historical development of estuaries Interestuarine comparison: hydrogeomorphological functions, oxygen and water quality Carrying capacity and management for habitats and birds ESTUARY GOVERNANCE Inventory of governance Inventory of uses / conflict matrix Communication schemes PRACTICAL MEASURES Analysis of human interventions Comparison of sediment dredging and relocation strategies Dealing with uncertainties in environmental assessments studies (EAS) Estuary specific pilot initiatives

34 Analysis of Human Interventions Learning from the others experiences and drawing useful knowledge for future planning and implementation processes Identification and selection of examples from each estuary Collection of detailed information on basis of jointly agreed criteria (measure targets, monitoring, effectiveness, maintenance efforts, zonation, costs, legislative assignment, public acceptance, conflicts and synergies, etc) Comparative analysis and recommendations Development of an online database for public search, making available extracts of the information collected