Transcript presentation

Restoration of estuarine
nature: luxury or essential
building blocks for a
sustainable future.
Lippenbroek as an example
Prof. Dr. Patrick Meire
University of Antwerp
Ecosystem management research group,
Chair of Integrated Water Management
2
Intro
Nature
Ecology
Harbour
?
Economy
This conflict is clearly unsustainable,
but unfortunately worldwide still very
common!
3
Conceptual framework
The world consists of
many different
ecosystems, each
characterised by
complex
interactions
between organisms
and with the abiotic
environment.
4
Conceptual framework
• Each ecosystem is characterised by a certain
carrying capacity for specific organisms.
5
Conceptual framework
• The carrying capacity depends on:
-
The amount of food and water,
The possibility to hide, nest, ….
The general conditions (eg climate)
….
6
Conceptual framework
• Carrying capacity (CC) of an ecosystem (river
basin, estuary or coastal sea,…) is the
possibility to sustain a certain amount of
human activities
7
Conceptual framework
• The development of man and its civilization
over thousands of years was characterized by
a gradual increase of the carrying capacity of
our environment due to changes to our
environment
8
Number
of
people
Time
9
Droughts
10
health
Floods
Pollution
Habitat loss
Notwithstanding many billions of euro’s
have been spend on watermanagement
over a very long time span, society is
still confronted with major floodings,
droughts, water quality problems etc.
overexploitation
global
change
11
Ecosystem services
Carrying capacity
12
13
Salmon mousse with corn salad
Fillets of Norman Sole with puree of potatoes
Jaffa-fondant cake
14
Salmon mousse on cornsalad
fillets of Norman Sole with
puree of potatoes
Ingredients
Jaffa-fondantcake
Ingredients
Ingredients
1
cornsalad
11
fillets of sole
22
sugar  sugarbeet
2
coriander leaves
12
23
cacao
3
celery leaves
broth of fish  different
species
24
maizena
13
white wine  grapes
25
walnuts
14
mussels
26
oranges
15
shrimps
16
mushrooms
17
flour  wheat
18
eggs  chickens
19
lemon
20
parsley
21
potatoes
4
shallots
5
cucumber
6
lemon
7
black pepper
8
olive oil  olives
9
smoked salmon
10
sour cream  cows
+ aperitif, coffee, etc.  at least 30 species necessary!!
Ingredients
Price/kg/L
Ingredients
Price/kg/l
11
fillets of sole
30 €
12
broth of fish  different
species
2 €
1
cornsalad
12 €
2
coriander leaves
1,5 €
3
celery leaves
1€
13
white wine grapes
5€
4
shallots
1,5 €
14
mussels
10 €
5
cucumber
1€
15
shrimps
20 €
mushrooms
4€
lemon
2€
16
6
flour  wheat
1€
7
Black pepper
15 €
17
18
eggs  chicken
0,20 €
8
olive oil  olives
8€
19
lemon
2€
9
smoked salmon
25 €
20
parsley
5€
10
sour cream  cows
2,5 €
21
potatoes
1€
Ingredients
22
sugar  sugerbeet
1,5 €
23
cacao
7€
24
maïzena
1€
25
walnuts
6€
26
oranges
2€
15
Sole
16
1 Day
2 days
6 days
28 days
19 days
17
Ecosystem services
• During different growth phases, the sole needs
different types of food
• From phytoplankton to worms, shells and
crustaceans.
18
Plankton
Bosmina
Daphnia
19
MOLLUSCA
slijkgaper
strandgaper
20
ANNELIDA
21
ARTHROPODA
vlokreeftje
22
Ecosystem services
• The diet of an average juvenile sole and
schrimp consists of about 25 species, when
adult sole needed more than 70 different prey
species to get at that stage!
• All these species have specific requirements to
the environment where they occur and need in
their turn other species to feed on!
• Also different habitats are needed during the
lifecycle
23
24
• Products with a high market value (eg Sole)
are dependent on species WITHOUT market
value and on specific habitats as well without
market value
25
26
27
28
Ecological functioning
versus Economy
29
“Goods and services”
(Costanza et al., Nature 1997)
30
30
31
As we goggle at the fluttering financial figures, a different
set of numbers passes us by. Last Friday, Pavan Sukhdev,
the Deutsche Bank economist leading a European study
on ecosystems, reported that we are losing natural capital
worth between US$2 trillion and US$5 trillion every year as
a result of deforestation alone. The losses incurred so far
by the financial sector amount to between US$1 trillion and
US$1.5 trillion. Sukhdev arrived at his figure by estimating
the value of the services — such as locking up carbon and
providing fresh water — that forests perform, and
calculating the cost of either replacing them or living
without them. The credit crunch is petty when compared to
the nature crunch.
31
32
Ecosystem services
Nature
Harbour
Ecosystem
Ecology
Economy
services
33
Conclusion 1
• The carrying capacity of the earth for men is based on the
“provisioning services” that we increased due to many
different management activities.
• These services are, however, completely dependent on
the supporting and regulating services and these
deteriorated due to the human activities.  The
consequences are much more far reaching than just the
loss of habitat and species
• There is a clear link between ecosystem services and the
economy
34
?
Will this difference depent
On how we are able to
Manage ecosystem
Goods and services?
35
What does this mean for the Schelde?
WESTERSCHELDE
Vlissingen
36
THE NETHERLANDS
Antwerpen
BELGIUM
Gent
ZEESCHELDE
37
28,4
25
42341
20,3
40000
20
38000
15
36000
10
35853
34000
32000
5
% intertidal area
42000
38
30
0
1900
1990
Year
total surface
1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
% intertidal
-50
Depth (dm GLLWS)
Surface (ha)
44000
-70
-90
-110
-130
-150
Year
Borssele
Hansweert
Bath
Zandvliet
39
Changing tidal characteristics
40 km
Van Braeckel et al. 2006
40
ES from past to present
Increase of high waters
Drainage of
Polder water
4 meter Subsidence of the land
increased risk of flooding
now 1 in 70 year in Antwerpen
Vigor
Organisation
Resilience
41
Supporting services
primary productivity
nutrient cycling
water cycling
biodiversity
habitat for rare species or for global population
nursery function
migration route
soil formation
• water regulation and protection against flooding
- Risks of flooding has
increased significantly
Regulating services
-  present management:
• Sigmaplandisease
/ Deltaplan
regulation
Air quality regulation
climate regulation
Water purification and waste treatment
Regulation of transport of nutrients and
contaminants
pest regulation
pollination
Trophic-dynamic regulation
- Heightening of dikes
- Controlled inundation areas
- Storm surge barrier
Waterregulation (protection against flooding)
Erosion regulation and sediment trap
Maintaining habitat structure and features (eg. tidal
characteristics)
natural hazard regulation
Provisioning services
fresh water
clean air
Food
Fiber
Fuel
genetic resources
biochemicals, natural medicines and pharmaceuticals
ornamental resources
 fresh water
42
Continuing habitat loss
Slope , current speed   marsh erosion 
43
Coastal squeeze
Vigor
Organisation
Resilience
44
Supporting services
primary productivity
nutrient cycling
water cycling
biodiversity
habitat for rare species or for global population
nursery function
migration route
soil formation
• protection against erosion
Regulating services
- Many dikes are not protected by marshes,
-  present managament:
Air quality regulation
disease regulation
Waterregulation (protection against flooding)
pest regulation
Erosion regulation
sediment
trap
• Reinforcement
of dikes with stones and other
formsand of
hard
pollination
Maintaining habitat structure and features (eg. tidal
engineering
Trophic-dynamic regulation
characteristics)
climate regulation
Water purification and waste treatment
Regulation of transport of nutrients and
contaminants
natural hazard regulation
Provisioning services
fresh water
clean air
Food
Fiber
Fuel
genetic resources
biochemicals, natural medicines and pharmaceuticals
ornamental resources
 fresh water
Vigor
Organisation
Resilience
45
Supporting services
primary productivity
nutrient cycling
water cycling
biodiversity
habitat for rare species or for global population
nursery function
migration route
soil formation
• sediment trap
- Due to a lack of sedimentation
Regulating servicesareas, extremely high
rates
-  present managament:
Air quality regulation
disease regulation
Waterregulation (protection against flooding)
climate regulation
Water purification and waste treatment
Regulation of transport of nutrients and
contaminants
pest regulation
Erosion regulation and sediment trap
• Dredging (up
to 500.000 ton DW.y-1 removed
fromhabitat
the
area)
pollination
Maintaining
structure
and features (eg. tidal
Trophic-dynamic regulation
characteristics)
• NO link to sediment management in basin natural hazard regulation
Provisioning services
fresh water
clean air
Food
Fiber
Fuel
genetic resources
biochemicals, natural medicines and pharmaceuticals
ornamental resources
 fresh water
60
Expected number of species
Aantal soorten benthos
50
40
30
20
10
0
Zoet
Fresh
Brak
Brackish
Zout
Marine
Vigor
Organisation
Resilience
47
Supporting services
•
•
•
•
•
trophic-dynamic regulations of populations
habitat for resident and transient populations
important habitat for global population
Regulating services
nursery
migration route
-  severely impacted
-  present management:
primary productivity
nutrient cycling
water cycling
habitat for rare species or for global population
biodiversity
nursery function
migration route
Air quality regulation
climate regulation
Water purification and waste treatment
Regulation of transport of nutrients and
contaminants
disease regulation
pest regulation
pollination
Trophic-dynamic regulation
soil formation
Waterregulation (protection against flooding)
Erosion regulation and sediment trap
Maintaining habitat structure and features (eg. tidal
characteristics)
natural hazard regulation
• “classical nature management”
- Juridical measures
Provisioning services
- Species oriented measures
- Vegetation management
fresh water
clean air
-  no impact at all on major problems like
water quality
Food
Fiber
Fuel
genetic resources
biochemicals, natural medicines and pharmaceuticals
ornamental resources
 fresh water
monthly averaged
discharge (m³/s)
IMPROVING WATER QUALITY?
400
300
200
100
0
96
97
98
99
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
chlorofyl a (µg/l)
maandgemiddeld
debiet (m³/s)
mouth (km)
to Vlissingen
Distance
afstand tot
(km)
140
700
less nutrients
but
more algae
120
600
500
400
100
300
200
80
100
60
2001996
0
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
150
Hypothesis: suppression of algal blooms
100
50
0
96
97
98
99
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
NEW PROBLEMS?
Silicium (mg/l)
20
Afstand tot
(km)
mouth (km)
toVlissingen
Distance
140
18
16
120
14
12
10
100
8
6
80
4
2
60
1996
0
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
FREQUENT DSI DEPLETION
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
DIATOMS
51
diatoms
52
ES from past to present
Eutrophication
Phaeocystis sp. blooms:
“foam algae”
Gonyaulax sp. blooms
Toxic “red tides”
Vigor
Organisation
Resilience
53
Supporting services
• Primary productivity
- Reduced
primary productivity
habitat for rare species or for global population
nutrient cycling
biodiversity
- No management
nursery function
water cycling
soil formation
migration route
Regulating services
Air quality regulation
climate regulation
Water purification and waste treatment
Regulation of transport of nutrients and
contaminants
disease regulation
pest regulation
pollination
Trophic-dynamic regulation
Waterregulation (protection against flooding)
Erosion regulation and sediment trap
Maintaining habitat structure and features (eg. tidal
characteristics)
natural hazard regulation
Provisioning services
fresh water
clean air
Food
Fiber
Fuel
genetic resources
biochemicals, natural medicines and pharmaceuticals
ornamental resources
 fresh water
54
Percentage of the load that
reaches the North Sea
1974
Billen et al. 1985
1985
Soetaert &
Herman, 1995
2002
Cox et al. in prep.
48%
55.000 t
77%
66.000
74%
70.000
27.500
49.500
51.800
RISK OF EUTROFICATION, POLLUTION
Vigor
Organisation
Resilience
55
Supporting services
• regulation net transport contaminants to North
Sea
• regulation net transport of nutrients to North
Sea
Regulating services
primary productivity
nutrient cycling
water cycling
habitat for rare species or for global population
biodiversity
nursery function
migration route
disease regulation
- Strongly reduced!
pest regulation
pollination
- Present management
Trophic-dynamic regulation
Air quality regulation
climate regulation
Water purification and waste treatment
Regulation of transport of nutrients and
contaminants
soil formation
Waterregulation (protection against flooding)
Erosion regulation and sediment trap
Maintaining habitat structure and features (eg. tidal
characteristics)
natural hazard regulation
• Reduction of imissions by environmental legislation
•  no link to processes
Provisioning services
•  univariate approach
fresh water
clean air
Food
Fiber
Fuel
genetic resources
biochemicals, natural medicines and pharmaceuticals
ornamental resources
 fresh water
Vigor
Organisation
Resilience
56
Supporting services
primary productivity
nutrient cycling
water cycling
habitat for rare species or for global
population
biodiversity
nursery function
migration route
soil formation
Regulating services
Air quality regulation
climate regulation
Water purification and waste
treatment
Regulation of transport of
nutrients and contaminants
disease regulation
pest regulation
pollination
Trophic-dynamic regulation
Waterregulation (protection against
flooding)
Erosion regulation and sediment
trap
Maintaining habitat structure and
features (eg. tidal characteristics)
natural hazard regulation
Provisioning services
fresh water
clean air
Food
Fiber
Fuel
genetic resources
biochemicals, natural medicines and
pharmaceuticals
 fresh
water
57
ES from past to present
Conclusions
• Increase of energy in the system
 Tides and discharge from the basin
 Organic material (chemical energy)
• Capacity of the systeem to cope with this has
been strogly reduced (the resilience of the
systeem decreased)
Further habitat loss/degradation
Further loss of species
LOSS OF ECOSSTEM SERVICES
Present management is an endless vortex leading to a further
decrease of the carrying capacity of the system from both an
economic and ecological point of view.
New Measure
Measure
???
Problem
New measure
New Problem
59
• Environmental management is more or less
like changing an aircraft to increase the size
without adapting the motors! It is obvious that
this will result in a crash….
• An aircraft is however seen as a system in
which each part has its function and each part
is adapted to that function, taking into account
the overall performance of the system!
• This system approach is needed for our own
environment!
60
An integrated strategy
• Requires:
- Understanding of ecosystem services
- Quantification of ES
61
Role of marshes
Exchange between
marsh and pelagic
150 – 300 ton BSi
HT
LT
100 – 200 ton Si
Tidal
flat
Struyf et al. 2005
62
An integrated strategy
• Requires:
- Understanding of ecosystem services
- Quantification of ES
 determine conservation objectives!
• What biodiversity we need to have (structural
approach)?
• Which and how much services the ecosystem
must deliver (functional approach)?
63
An integrated strategy
• Ecosystem services can be:
- A volume of water that can be stored on marshes
( safety)
- Amount of primary production needed to sustain
the nursery function
- Retention of nutrients
- Buffering tidal energy
- recreation
- = This are different ways to express a carrying
capacity of the system
64
Regulation of nutrients
Tidal marsh
Si regeneration
Habitat function
mudflats
Zm/Zp
Service :
Primary
Production
Shallow water
Phyto
plankton
Pelagic habitat
River
biodiversity
Organic
Load/ Si
Regulation of nutrients
65
Conservation Objectives (CO)
population
Surface S1
Species 1
H
a
b
i
t
a
t
1
density
habitat quality
habitat quality
Function 1
unit
Surface F1
volume
Final CO:  Max (surface S1,..Sn; F1,…,Fm)
 Habitat quality
66
An integrated strategy
•
•
•
•
Understanding and quantification of ES
Formulation of objectives
The calculation of habitats surface needed
Measures to maintain or restore habitats
67
Marsh restoration
Ketenisse
Pilot study
Lippenbroek
Pilot project Lippenbroek
Management scenario Lippenbroek
Lippenbroek
1: Ring Dike
4 3
1
2
2: FCA dike
1
1
3: Inlet sluice
4: Outlet sluice
1
10 ha of tidal nature developping since March 2006
Concept FCA - CRT
safety, ecology and a new ecosystem
70
Safety:
- Lowered dike stretch
- Critical tides: whole storage capacity
- Only few times/year!
Ecology:
estuary
FCA
polder ecosystem
- Introducing estuarine
- Tidal regime in area
- Two times a day!
Outlet
estuary
‘New’ ecosystem: Lippenbroek
since
March
2006!
CRT
Ring Dike
Lowered FCA dike
- Area below high water level
polder
Inlet
- Separate in- and outlet sluices at different heights:
First CRT in the world with neap-spring tide cycle!
Outlet
Ring Dike
Lowered FCA dike
71
Pilot project Lippenbroek
10 ha of tidal nature developping: May 2008
Introducing macrotidal regime
7
Schelde (De Plaat)
level (m TAW)
6
5
4
Lippenbroek
Lippenbroek
3
2
1
0
7/04
12/04
17/04
22/04
27/04
2/05
date
 Reduction of high water level by 3 meter
 No reduction of spring – neap variation
7/05
74
Water Quality
measurements 3/7/2006
instream
5.0
NO3-N
outstream
mg/l
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
tijdstip (uur)
75
Water Quality
measurements 3/7/2006
SiO2
12
10
mg/l
8
6
4
2
0
9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
tim e (hrs)
76
Managed realignment
1990
1998
77
78
The integrated approach
Required surface of different habitats
Tidal habitats
Non tidal
habitats
Habitattype
Buitendijks brak
opp (ha)
740
Buitendijks zoet
Binnendijks bos alluviaal
1040
570
Binnendijks anderen
Binnendijks grasland dotter (RBB)
Binnendijks grasland anderen
370
840
910
Binnendijks riet/ruigte
Binnendijks plas/oever
560
240
79
The integrated approach
Spatial distribution of CO-Schelde:
Function
Schelde: solutions?
Sustainable solutions:
Restoring functions
Returncontrol
to pristine
situation
Flood
area:
Managed realignment?
is impossible.
restoring
- Elevation
oftensafety
not suitable
Controlled
reduced with
tide:
- Not always compatible
safetyplan
restoring ecology
Structure
81
conclusions
• Ecosystems deliver services to society:
- Ecosystem services
• But are therefore dependent on the presence
of species and habitats and their performance.
•  not delivering these services has a high
cost for society
82
• Ecosystem services determine the carrying
capacity of the system for human use!
• Improving the estuarine functioning will also
improve the possibilities for recreation
• A network of nature education centers along
the estuary might also be crucial to inform the
public about ecosystem services and create in
this way the necessary public support for
restoration measures
83
Thanks for your attention