The estuaries of most large European rivers have a long history of anthropological modification: river banks have been canalised and fringed with dikes for flood prevention, river beds have been deepened to enable shipping, coastal marshes and brakish water areas have been drained in order to give space to agriculture.
In the past, maintenance measures have usually worked against natural estuarine processes, such as tidal fluctuations, up-stream sediment transport and periodical floodings. Tremendous and sometimes irreversible changes resulted, making estuaries vulnerable to natural disasters and phenomena such as sea level rise. Today we face the challenge of restoring the disrupted functions and boosting the self-regulating estuarine dynamics by applying deliberate mitigation and compensation measures.
WP 5
mitigation measures
Even the best science-based planning will only lead to a sustainable and integrative management of the estuarine ecosystem if tis is successfully turned into practice. Many management measures often do not reach the expected ecological effectiveness because of faults and uncertainties regarding selection, planning or implementation.
Based on a collection of practical experience regarding management, restoration, mitigation and compensation measures relevant to the TIDE estuaries, the project will deduce recommendations for their optimised handling. This will be done by compiling examples of both successful and non successful practical measures, assessing their impact, legal framework, cost-effectiveness, and public acceptance.
This compilation will serve both as a learning and support tool during the process of planning and implementing pilot projects in the TIDE estuaries. TIDE partners will be involved in the implementation of several measures to optimise the functioning of their estuaries in both ecological (habitat restoration) and morphodynamical (sediment management) ways. Examples of these measures are:
The Lower Saxony Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation Agency will be coordinating this series of activities.
Based on a collection of practical experience regarding management, restoration, mitigation and compensation measures relevant to the TIDE estuaries, the project will deduce recommendations for their optimised handling. This will be done by compiling examples of both successful and non successful practical measures, assessing their impact, legal framework, cost-effectiveness, and public acceptance.
This compilation will serve both as a learning and support tool during the process of planning and implementing pilot projects in the TIDE estuaries. TIDE partners will be involved in the implementation of several measures to optimise the functioning of their estuaries in both ecological (habitat restoration) and morphodynamical (sediment management) ways. Examples of these measures are:
- Evaluation of the Wedel sediment trap (Pilot Project Elbe) (Download presentation) (Download factsheet)
- Revitalisation of aquatic and semi-aquatic ecotops around the back water of Weser (Pilot Project Weser 1)
- Feasibility study of Weser river banks restoration (Pilot Project Weser 2) (Download factsheet)
- Development of natural sublitoral hard substrate ecotops around Weser (Pilot Project Weser 3)
- New disposal strategy for dredged material, adaptation of embankments, groynes and other fixed structures (Pilot Project Scheldt)
- Beneficial use of dredging trial, nourishment of intertidal / low energy areas at Humber (Pilot Project Humber)
The Lower Saxony Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation Agency will be coordinating this series of activities.
Dredger, Elbe River (© HPA)
Flood Control Area / Controlled Reduced Tide (FCA_CRT), Scheldt estuary
(© s.Pro)
(© s.Pro)
Managed realignment,
Humber estuary
(© IECS)
Humber estuary
(© IECS)
