BALANS and GAUFRE: two projects supporting sustainable development of the Belgian part of the North

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BALANS and GAUFREtwo projects supporting
sustainable development of the Belgian part of
the North Sea

• Sofie Derous

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BALANS GAUFRE

• Problem
• Space resources on land get more more
  depleted
• ? Shift towards marine environment
• ? increasing intense multifunctional use of the
  sea
• Bergen Declaration (2002) of the 5th
  International Conference on the Protection of the
  North Sea
• Way to Solution
• A structured view on the different use functions
  of the marine environment
• 3 components
• Social factors
• Economic factors
• Environmental factors

Multidisciplinarity
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BALANS

• Balancing impacts of human activities in the
  Belgian part of the North Sea
• Sand and gravel extraction
• Fisheries

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BALANS (2)
ecology
Legal aspects
ecotoxicology
sociology
economy
fisheries research
Modelling
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BALANS (3)

• For each sub-discipline
• Determine rough indicators
• Translate to measurable indicators
• Linking ALL sub-disciplinary indicators
• 3. Quantify indicators

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BALANS (4)

• 1. For each sub-discipline
• Determine rough indicators
• Translate to measurable indicators
• 2. Linking ALL sub-disciplinary indicators
• 3. Quantify indicators

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BALANS (5)

• Rough indicators

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BALANS (6)

• 1. For each sub-discipline
• Determine rough indicators
• Translate to measurable indicators
• 2. Linking ALL sub-disciplinary indicators
• 3. Quantify indicators

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Profit
Investments
Subsidies and taxes
Salary costs
Turnover
Economy
Job opportunities
Income
Infrastructure and technical specifications
Quotum
Social
Extraction
Maximum capacity
Air pollution
Transport
Toxic pollution
Stock in BPNS
Effort
Extraction resources
Suitability
Closure
Volume Surface area
Use of BPNS
Demand
Physical impact
Driving Force
Environment
Flowchart sand and gravel extraction
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Extraction
Air pollution
Cu PACs oil
Toxic pollution
Transport
Ecosystem
Spatial use
Physical impact
Hydrodynamics
Volume Surface area
Change seabed morphology
Recovery
Resuspension
Grain size
Extraction resources
Deposition after resuspension

Recovery
Benthos
Environment
Infrastructure and technical specifications
Detail of environmental aspect
Stock in BPNS
Driving Force
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BALANS (7)

• 1. For each sub-discipline
• Determine rough indicators
• Translate to measurable indicators
• 2. Linking ALL sub-disciplinary indicators
• 3. Quantify indicators

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Stella-software
Change in seabed morphology
Grain size
Benthos
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BALANSFisheries

• Relationships between indicators more complex
• Conceptual model for aggregate extraction
  learning process

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GAUFRE

• Towards a spatial structure plan for sustainable
  management of the sea
• Problem
• 1. Many use functions in small spatial area
• 2. Demand for expansion of activities
• 3. New use functions (e.g. windmills, MPAs,...)
• Solution
• Optimal allocation of use functions plan
• Methodology

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BCS All use functions
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GAUFRE (2)

• Towards a spatial structure plan for sustainable
  management of the sea
• Problem
• 1. Many use functions in small spatial area
• 2. Demand for expansion of activities
• 3. New use functions (e.g. windmills, MPAs,...)
• Solution
• Optimal allocation of use functions plan
• Methodology

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GAUFRE methodology

• Step 1 - Data collection
• ? Inventarisation use functions - location
• 
  - intensities
• 
  - legal boundaries
• Step 2 - Zonation

Legal boundaries
Biological data
Geological data
Legal boundaries
Geological data
Biological data
GIS
Different macrobenthic communities
Homogeneous zones
Preliminary biological evaluation
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GAUFRE methodology (2)

• Step 3 - Impact assessment of different use
  functions
• ? Defining impacts
• Interaction among use functions within zones

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GAUFRE methodology (3)

• Step 3 - Impact assessment of different use
  functions
• ? Defining impacts
• ? Interaction among use functions within zones

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GAUFRE Nieuwpoort-Lombardsijde
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GAUFRE methodology (4)

• Step 3 - Impact assessment of different use
  functions
• ? Interaction among use functions within zones

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Zone 1
Zone 2
2
1
Use function 1
Use function 2
Use function 3
Use function 1
Homogeneous zones
Ecological impacts
Ecological impacts
Ecological impacts
Ecological impacts
Combined ecological impact zone 1
Cumulative ? Additive ?
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GAUFRE methodology (5)

• qualitative impact classes low
• 
  medium impact
• 
  high

Nieuwpoort/Lombardsijde beach
Military exercises
Tourism/recreation
Soft coastal defense
85 days of shooting/year
Low (Ijzermonding) - medium intensity
Total of 8600 m³ sand
Impact on benthos / beach morphology?
Impact on birds ?
Impact on benthos / birds ?
Combined environmental impact in zone
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GAUFRE methodology (6)

• Step 4 Integration
• Balancing/weighing socio-economic and
  environmental impacts

Zone 1
Zone 2
Combined social impact
Combined social impact
Combined economic impact
Combined economic impact
Combined environmental impact
Combined environmental impact
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GAUFRE result

• spatial plan(s) Scenario(s)
• for sustainable spatial allocation
• suitability conflicts combined impacts
• ?
• scientific foundation for development of
• marine spatial structure plan