ECOSYSTEM APPROACH AND DREDGING

CEDA DREDGING DAYS 2008

ECOSYSTEM APPROACH AND DREDGING

Frederik MinkInterel Cabinet Stewart


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


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)


WHAT IS AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED

APPROACH IN REGULATORY SPACE ?

– IS THE SCIENCE GOOD ENOUGH?

– CAN WE MODEL ECOSYSTEMS?

– CAN WE PREDICT CONSEQUENCES?

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


Simplified ‘structure’ marine ecosystem

•


Birds

Mammals

Algae&

Pelagic

Benthos

Water Column

Seabed

BIOTOPES

PHYS

SUBSTRATE

Biotic

A-Biotic


OUTLINE OF MARINE ECOSYTEM PROCESSES

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

Impacts and pressures

Products and services


ECOSYSTEM APPROACH (HELCOM)

Perennial plants

Fish 2

Fish 1

Zoo plankton

Birds

Mammals

Zoobenthos

Sediment

Phyto plankton

Water column

Sea bed

Contaminants

Nutrients

Human activities

Nutrients

Cont.


ECOSYSTEM APPROACH - DREDGING

Sediment removal

Direct Resuspension Impact morphology

benthos flora

Sedimentation TurbidityOrganic material

Entrainment Light

Fish community

Habitat status

Nutrients O2 Level

Eutrophication

Hydrodyn. changes Topography

Salinity Wave climate

Habitat structures

MammalsEcosystem boundary

Chemical factors

Short-term Long-term

Physical factors

Ecological conditions


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



Increased impact human acitvity

Ecosystem state

Pristine conditions

Good environmental

status

Degraded conditions

Reference Point

E.Q.O. Reference Point

Allowable zone

Current state?

Pressures & impacts

Indicators

Precautionary limit



• 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.


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


DREDGING CASES

GOOD ECOLOGICAL APPROACHES

FALLS SHORT OF ECOSYSTEM APPROACH

DOES NOT ACCOUNT FOR SYSTEM DYNAMICS AND FEEDBACK MECHANISMS


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


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.

ECOSYSTEM APPROACH AND DREDGING

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