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ECOSYSTEM APPROACH AND DREDGING

ECOSYSTEM APPROACH AND DREDGING. Frederik Mink Interel Cabinet Stewart . EU ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION. BIRDS DIRECTIVE 1976 Species HABITATS DIRECTIVE 1992 Habitats WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE 2000 River Basin

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ECOSYSTEM APPROACH AND DREDGING

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  1. ECOSYSTEM APPROACH AND DREDGING Frederik Mink Interel Cabinet Stewart

  2. EU ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION BIRDS DIRECTIVE 1976 Species HABITATS DIRECTIVE 1992 Habitats WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE 2000 River Basin MARINE STRATEGY DIRECTIVE 2008 Ecosystem “MARINE STRATEGY SHALL APPLY AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED APPROACH TO THE MANAGEMENT OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES…” Maintain good environmental status Maintain carrying capacity

  3. ECOSYSTEM APPROACH STRATEGY FOR INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF LAND, WATER AND LIVING RESOURCES TO PROMOTE CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE BASED ON: Appropriate science focused on biological processes and functions CBD – Convention on Biological Diversity (1992) and Conference of Parties (2000)

  4. WHAT IS AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED APPROACH IN REGULATORY SPACE ? IS THE SCIENCE GOOD ENOUGH? CAN WE MODEL ECOSYSTEMS? CAN WE PREDICT CONSEQUENCES?

  5. ECOSYSTEM • “A DYNAMIC COMPLEX OF PLANT, ANIMAL AND MICRO-ORGANISM COMMUNITIES AND THEIR NON LIVING ENVIRONMENT INTERACTING AS A FUNCTIONAL UNIT “(CBD) • ANY PART OF THE BIOSPHERE COMPRISING LIVING AND NON-LIVING CONSTITUENTS • that support a complex network of interactions • is delimited in space • interacts with surrounding biosphere via input/output. ” E.P. ODUM ‘58/‘69

  6. Birds Mammals B I O T O P E S Algae & Pelagic Benthos P H Y S SUBST RATE Water Column Seabed Simplified ‘structure’ marine ecosystem Biotic A-Biotic

  7. OUTLINE OF MARINE ECOSYTEM PROCESSES Impacts and pressures INPUT - Energy - Water - Nutrients - Sediments - Matter - Migratory species - C / CO2 • ECOSYSTEM • ‘FUNCTIONS’ • Production • Accumulation • Transformation • Transport OUTPUT - Energy - Water - Nutrients - Sediments - Matter - Migratory species - C / CO2 Products and services

  8. Humanactivities Birds Fish 2 Mammals Fish 1 Zoo plankton Zoobenthos Contaminants Phytoplankton Perennial plants Cont. Water column Nutrients Nutrients Sediment Sea bed ECOSYSTEM APPROACH (HELCOM)

  9. Sediment removal Short-term Long-term Direct Resuspension Impact morphology Sedimentation Turbidity Organicmaterial Hydrodyn. changes Topography Nutrients O2 Level Salinity Waveclimate Physicalfactors Eutrophication Chemicalfactors Entrainment Light Ecological conditions benthos flora Fish community Habitat status Habitat structures Mammals Ecosystemboundary ECOSYSTEM APPROACH - DREDGING

  10. ECOSYSTEM IN REGULATION (1) NEED TOOLS TO PERFORM “ECOLOGICAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT” NEED APPROPRIATE SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF INTERNAL SYSTEM ORGANIZATION NEED MODELS TO PREDICT IMPACT ON SYSTEM RESPONSE DEFINE APPROPRIATE INDICATORS

  11. ECOSYSTEM IN REGULATION (2) Pressures & impacts Ecosystem state Current state? Indicators Pristine conditions Good environmentalstatus Degraded conditions Allowable zone Increased impact human acitvity Precautionary limit Reference Point Reference Point E.Q.O.

  12. ECOSYSTEM IN REGULATION (3) ASSESS (LOWER) END-POINT OF GOOD STATUS RANGE. DEFINE ECOLOGICAL QUALITY OBJECTIVES & PRECAUTIONARY LIMITS. OUTLINE SYSTEM STRUCTURE. DEFINE KEY PROCESSES. ASSESS IMPACT OF EXTERNAL FACTORS (HUMAN ACTIVITIES). CHOOSE SUITABLE INDICATORS FOR MONITORING. DRAW CONCLUSIONS ABOUT SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT.

  13. ECOSYSTEM IN REGULATION (4)

  14. EXAMPLES OF DREDGING ORESUND PROJECT (JENSEN/99) FOCUS ON EELGRASS & MUSSELBANKS ESTIMATE SENSIVITY FOR SEDIMENT AND SUSPENDED MATTER DERIVE OPERATIONAL LIMITS FOR DREDGING MONITORING SINGAPORE LAND RECLAMATION ((DOORN_GROEN/07) FOCUS ON CORAL REEFS, SEAGRASS BEDS & MANGROVES ASSESS SEDIMENT TRANSPORT (incl. dredging) STUDY INFLUENCE OF WATER COLUMN DEFINE ALLOWABLE SEDIMENTATION RATES MONITORING

  15. DREDGING CASESGOOD ECOLOGICAL APPROACHESFALLS SHORT OF ECOSYSTEM APPROACHDOES NOT ACCOUNT FOR SYSTEM DYNAMICS AND FEEDBACK MECHANISMS

  16. DREDGING NEEDS • GENERIC LIMIT VALUES FOR SEDIMENTATION AND TURBIDITY ARE TOO CONSERVATIVE • STANDARD VALUES DO NOT RECOGNIZE RESILIENCE AND DYNAMCS OF THE ECOSYSTEM • NEED FOR ASSESSMENT METHOD THAT ACCOUNTS FOR CARRYING CAPACITY OF THE SYSTEM

  17. FINDINGS ECOSYSTEM APPROACH OFFERS INTERESTING SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVES FOR UNDERSTANDING DYNAMICS OF SYSTEMS. ECOSYSTEM APPROACH IN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW POSES REGULATORY PROBLEMS THERE IS NO ADEQUATE TOOLBOX FOR “ECOSYSTEM IMPACT ASSESSMENT”. THE SYSTEM APPROACH IN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW IS AT ODDS WITH THE SPECIFIC SPECIES AND HABITATS PROTECTION. “ECOSYSTEM IMPACT ASSESSMENT” AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT ARE NOT COMPATIBLE.

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