Transcript ECOSYSTEM APPROACH AND DREDGING

ECOSYSTEM APPROACH
AND DREDGING
Frederik Mink
Interel Cabinet Stewart
CEDA DREDGING DAYS 2008
EU ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION
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BIRDS DIRECTIVE 1976
HABITATS DIRECTIVE 1992
WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE 2000
MARINE STRATEGY DIRECTIVE 2008
Species
Habitats
River Basin
Ecosystem
• “MARINE STRATEGY SHALL APPLY AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED
APPROACH TO THE MANAGEMENT OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES…”
 Maintain good environmental status
 Maintain carrying capacity
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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)
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WHAT IS AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED
APPROACH IN REGULATORY SPACE ?
– IS THE SCIENCE GOOD ENOUGH?
– CAN WE MODEL ECOSYSTEMS?
– CAN WE PREDICT CONSEQUENCES?
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ECOSYSTEM
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“A DYNAMIC COMPLEX OF PLANT, ANIMAL AND MICROORGANISM 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
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Simplified ‘structure’
marine ecosystem
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B
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Birds
Mammals
Algae
&
Pelagic
Biotic
Benthos
P
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Y
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T
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A
T
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Water Column
A-Biotic
Seabed
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OUTLINE OF MARINE ECOSYTEM
PROCESSES
Impacts and pressures
INPUT
- Energy
- Water
- Nutrients
- Sediments
- Matter
- Migratory species
- C / CO2
OUTPUT
ECOSYSTEM
‘FUNCTIONS’
-Production
-Accumulation
-Transformation
-Transport
- Energy
- Water
- Nutrients
- Sediments
- Matter
- Migratory species
- C / CO2
Products and services
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ECOSYSTEM APPROACH (HELCOM)
Human
activities
Birds
Fish 2
Mammals
Fish 1
Zoo plankton
Zoobenthos
Contaminants
Phyto plankton
Perennial plants
Water column
Cont.
Nutrients
Nutrients
Sediment
Sea bed
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ECOSYSTEM APPROACH - DREDGING
Sediment removal
Short-term
Long-term
Direct
Impact
morphology
Resuspension
Sedimentation
Turbidity
Organic material
Nutrients
Physical
factors
flora
O2 Level
Eutrophication
Ecological
conditions
benthos
Hydrodyn. changes
Entrainment
Topography
Salinity
Wave climate
Chemical
factors
Light
Fish
community
Habitat
status
Ecosystem boundary
Habitat
structures
Mammals
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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
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ECOSYSTEM IN REGULATION (2)
Pressures &
impacts
Ecosystem state
Current state?
Pristine
conditions
Indicators
Good
environmental
status
Degraded
conditions
Allowable zone
Increased impact
human acitvity
Reference
Point
E.Q.O.
Precautionary
limit
Reference
Point
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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.
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ECOSYSTEM IN REGULATION (4)
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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
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DREDGING CASES
GOOD ECOLOGICAL APPROACHES
FALLS SHORT OF ECOSYSTEM APPROACH
DOES NOT ACCOUNT FOR SYSTEM DYNAMICS
AND FEEDBACK MECHANISMS
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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
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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.
CEDA DREDGING DAYS 2008