LC 00926

Background/ Situation

Delta areas and coastal areas in particular become busier and busier. The challenges is these areas become bigger and bigger: combining economy (industry), recreation,  nature and food production keeping in mind the increasing demand for fresh water, energy and food for  the growing world population and safety  issues as a result of climate change. The use of near (in) shore areas by humans has a limit: the so-called carrying capacity of (water) systems. There are several forms of carrying capacity: economic, production, ecological) on different spatial scales.

In the Living Lab Oosterschelde (Eastern Scheldt) several apparent conflicts are prominent.  The Eastern Scheldt is a National Parc. On the other hand the area is used for bottom shellfish production for many decades. Innovations have resulted in new off bottom culture techniques for oysters and mussels. New initiatives in marine aquaculture, f.e. seaweed, are taken. Space for new forms of  water use in near shore areas seems limited however. Resulting in a limitation of the innovations in food production, energy generation and others usage. One solution to overcome the deadlock in spatial competing claims is to look for new smart combination of functions. These combinations have to be worked out  in technical, policy and management sense on different scales of time and space: multi-functional use, function rotation, combining land-based and near shore use, etc.

Aim

The system of study in this assignment comprises the region “Eastern Scheldt” , a former estuary fed by salt North Sea water every tide. The aims of the study are fourfold:

1. Defining the carrying capacity of the Eastern Scheldt, taken into account the future developments.
2. Quantifying the  impact of different possible functions  on the carrying capacity of the Eastern Scheldt now and in the future (projection)
3. Work out and analyze concepts for multi functional use in space and time
4. Analyze what transitions, also in policy and management are needed to put these concepts into practice.

Boundary conditions

• Serving multiple goals: food, nature, energy, recreation, safety
• Spatial Planning, Administration, Policy
• Ecosystem services and carrying capacity
• Sustainability: circular, safe, robust

Stakeholders

• Aquaculture and Fishery representatives  (PO Mossel, NOV, Vereniging Beroepsvissers OWV, individual SME’S)
• Government (Rijkswaterstaat,  municipality Schouwen Duiveland, Noord Beveland, Reimerswaal, Province of Zeeland, Ministry of  Agriculture, Nature and Food quality)
• Recreation, Nature NGO’s

Contacts there in:

• Aquaculture and Fisheries: Addy Risseuw, Jaap de Rooij
• Province of Zeeland: Jaap Broodman
• Rijkswaterstaat: Leo Adriaanse, Frank Gijzel.
• Ministerie LNV: Wilbert Schermer Voest
• Municipality Schouwen Duiveland:  Eric Caspers
• Zeeuwse Milieu Federatie: Masha Dedert

Prerequisites

Knowledge on general aquatic ecological concepts of marine water systems.  This is app. 75 pages from book Ecology of Aquatic Systems, M. Dobson and C, Frid (2009), 2^nd edition, Oxford University Press about primary production, food webs,  nutrient cycling, eutrophication, carrying capacity