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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.
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This report presents an overview of demand and supply of ES in four estuaries. It allows for their comparison and linkage to their specific functional characteristics. Trade-offs and synergies, historical value estimates, and ES impacts of estuarine measures are provided.
These results can be used in different fields of estuarine management.
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How can public acceptance for management actions be increased?
How can the Ecosystem Services Approach be used to support management decisions?
How do TIDE estuaries deal with management problems?
How does habitat management affect the supply of ecosystem services?
How does the societal demand for ecosystem services vary along the estuary gradient?
What are the key areas of conflicts or synergies in TIDE estuaries?
What is important in establishing a zonation for estuaries?
Which aspects do I have to take into account in order to make a measure a success?
Which measures are suitable to achieve specific ecological targets?
Which measures are suitable to provide ecosystem services and benefits?
Which synergistic effects and conflicts can be expected by planning and implementing a certain measure?
“Working with nature”: What are the opportunities for sediment management in estuaries?
Ecosystem Service Assessment of TIDE Estuaries
Table of content
- 1. Summary
- 2. Introduction
- 2a. Ecosystem Services
- 2b. Ecosystem Services in Estuaries
- 2c. Key questions and general approach
- 3. TIDE ES - Assessment methodology
- 3a. From ES longlist to key ecosystem services
- 3b. Expert survey reliability: theory
- 3c. TIDE Survey methodology & reliability
- 4. Results: demand survey for ecosystem services in four EU estuaries
- 4a. Which are the key ecosystem services?
- 4b. Spatial aspects of ES demand
- 4c. Temporal aspects of ES demand
- 5. Supply of ecosystem services in four EU estuaries
- 5a. ES supply by habitats
- 5b. Determining conservation objectives with ES
- 5c. ES supply maps
- 5d. Functional ES supply
- 5e. Inter- and intra-estuarine ES supply patterns
- 5f. Habitat contributions to ES supply
- 6. Historical image of ES value
- 7. Trade-off risk assessment
- 8. Assessment of estuarine management measures
- 9. Ecosystem Services in TIDE: Conclusions
- 9a. Key question answers
- 9b. Future challenges
- 9c. Conclusion
- 10. Acknowledgements
- 11. References
Authors:
by Sander Jacobs, Wouter Vandenbruwaene, Dirk Vrebos, Olivier Beauchard, Annelies Boerema, Kirsten Wolfstein, Tom Maris, Sonja Saathoff and Patrick Meire
by Sander Jacobs, Wouter Vandenbruwaene, Dirk Vrebos, Olivier Beauchard, Annelies Boerema, Kirsten Wolfstein, Tom Maris, Sonja Saathoff and Patrick Meire
9c. Conclusion
The Ecosystem services approach offers a pragmatic, rational approach to biodiversity management and an opportunity to sustainably manage natural capital for human benefits. The societal demand for regulating services to cope with growing risks of lowered ecosystem functioning is growing, especially in coastal zones and estuaries which are/will be subjected to effects of climate change. Such a rational approach is therefore needed.This report presents an overview of demand and supply of ES in four estuaries. It allows for their comparison and linkage to their specific functional characteristics. Trade-offs and synergies, historical value estimates, and ES impacts of estuarine measures are provided.
These results can be used in different fields of estuarine management.
- Improvement of knowledge on ES in general, addressing of knowledge gaps and further pooling of expertise.
- For the implementation of measures: which habitats should be maintained/ restored in order to stimulate certain ES, or how to obtain the maximum supply of the entire bundle of ES.
- For decision making processes: which ES are important or less important for the vision on a certain estuary or for the respective society/residents.
- For estuarine governance: synergies and conflicting aims (with other processes) can be deduced.
Important to know
Reports / Measures / Tools
| Tool: | Ecosystem service trade-off risk tool (Decision support) |
|---|---|
| Tool: | Mapping tool for estuarine ecosystem service supply (Decision support) |
| Tool: | Survey tool for screening of estuarine ES demand and supply (Methodology) |
| Tool: | Defining Conservation goals based on Ecosystem Services in the Scheldt (Examples of good practice) |
Management issues
How can ecosystem services of estuaries be valued?How can public acceptance for management actions be increased?
How can the Ecosystem Services Approach be used to support management decisions?
How do TIDE estuaries deal with management problems?
How does habitat management affect the supply of ecosystem services?
How does the societal demand for ecosystem services vary along the estuary gradient?
What are the key areas of conflicts or synergies in TIDE estuaries?
What is important in establishing a zonation for estuaries?
Which aspects do I have to take into account in order to make a measure a success?
Which measures are suitable to achieve specific ecological targets?
Which measures are suitable to provide ecosystem services and benefits?
Which synergistic effects and conflicts can be expected by planning and implementing a certain measure?
“Working with nature”: What are the opportunities for sediment management in estuaries?