Project part-financed by the European Union (European Regional Development Fund)

The Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme

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The authors are solely responsible for the content of this report. Material included herein does not represent the opinion of the European Community, and the European Community is not responsible for any use that might be made of it.

TIDE toolbox

Guiding Estuarine Management

Due to their high dynamics and various uses the management of estuaries demands an integrated approach taking into account estuarine functioning, appropriate governance and the implementation of measures based on knowledge and experience. TIDE offers a selection of tools and recommendations.

Integrated Management

Management of complex and dynamic systems like estuaries requires an integrated approach covering a comprehensive understanding of estuarine functions, appropriate governance tools and experience based on good practises. These aspects are assessed in the main chapters ´Functioning´, Governance´ and ´Measures´ of the toolbox.
To guide estuarine managers through a generic integrated estuarine management process with the Ecosystem Approach as an integral part, the use of the Estuarine Planning Support System (EPSS) is recommended as an interactive tool, making use of key tools and outputs from the TIDE project related to the above named aspects. This generic roadmap directs the users to relevant supporting outputs and tools from the TIDE project needed at each stage of the generic management process.

Go to Estuarine Planning Support System “EPSS”

Consolidated knowledge of the development, dynamics and functioning of your estuary is a precondition for successful management and governance. The toolbox offers information on structures and processes in the TIDE estuaries. While not all of this will be relevant for other estuaries, it does indicate the features to be considered.

Shallow water areas in North Sea estuaries. ... Modelling the oxygen budget of the Elbe-Estua... (PDF) Manual for valuation of ecosystem services in... (PDF) Determinants of bird habitat use in TIDE estu... An interestuarine comparison for ecology in T... Ecosystem Service Assessment of TIDE Estuarie... Scheldt Estuary Evaluation Methodology (PDF) Moneos: Integrated Monitoring of the Scheldt ... (PDF) Interestuarine comparison: Hydro-geomorpholog... Sand balance approach (PDF) Comparison of Hydrodynamics and Salinity of T... (PDF) Zonation of the TIDE estuaries

Integrated estuarine management has to face (inter)national policies, politics, administration and legislation spheres. It must encompass different estuary functions, stakeholder interests and benefits emanating from the ecosystem services. TIDE provides tools for a conflict analysis and recommendations for improving management plans and communication.

Analysis of the TIDE Estuarine Conflict Matri... Legislative Drivers & Sectoral Plan Review of... Environmental Impact Assessment and Appropria... (PDF) Environmental Impact Assessment and Appropria... (PDF) The tidal Elbe - a people's perspective Development / implementation of a new communi...

During the last centuries all estuaries have faced various unfavorable changes and developments. Restoration measures aim at preserving or improving the morphological, hydrological and ecological state of estuaries. TIDE has assessed 42 measures related to different management purposes. Lessons learned and the best practices are presented.

Go to Management measure database

Dredging and disposal strategies of the Weser... (PDF) Dredging and disposal strategies of the Schel... (PDF) Dredging and disposal strategies of the Humbe... (PDF) Dredging and disposal strategies of the Elbe ... (PDF) Management measures analysis and comparison Hard Substrate Habitats Outer Weser Estuary (PDF) The Potential Use of Dredged Material in the ... (PDF) Restoration of a tidal foreland in the Werder... (PDF) Secondary channels in European estuaries (PDF) Anabranch revitalization lower Weser estuary (PDF) Interestuarine comparison: Managed Realignmen... (PDF) Morphological management of estuaries (PDF) Sediment relocation to shallow water near Wal... (PDF) Pilot project „Evaluation of the sediment t... (PDF)

How to use the TIDE toolbox

The TIDE toolbox is a result of the INTERREG IVB-Project “Tidal River Development” TIDE. It aims at the integrated management of estuaries by providing information on estuarine functioning, but also shares experiences on the implementation of management plans and measures. Furthermore the toolbox enables easy access to the project results in a user friendly way.
Tools in the sense of this toolbox may be a recommendation concerning a certain methodology, a template, a decision support system or a specific report and its summary. There are different entries to access these tools whereby you may choose according to your previous knowledge or preference:

address a specific report directly via your choice following the above scheme;
search one or several related reports by keywords compiled in a glossary;
select your specific question/management issue from a list (management issues);
browse the list of tools;
select from the list of reports; you may choose between the summary or the whole report;
browse the list of measures that may serve as good practice;
access links connected to other projects providing information on similar subjects, e.g. estuary science or management.

Measures overviewLearn more

ReportsLearn more

TIDE toolsLearn more