Dr. Frank Ahlhorn
Kueste und Raum, Germany
Title: Estuarine Management as part of Integrated Coastal Zone Management in north-western Germany – Achievements and Challenges
Biography
Biography: Dr. Frank Ahlhorn
Abstract
Three German estuaries are located in the southern North Sea. Each of them host an important seaport within a distance of 60 to 120 km from the river mouth. Increasing oversea trade and demanding logistics are asking for appropriate vessel sizes and, thus, fairway dimensions. This process of mutual adaptation enables economic development, but causes multifaceted challenges and problems in the respective estuaries. Deeper and straightened fairways led to a changed current velocity and, thus, to inaproppriate erosion and sedimentation process. Furthremore, salt water intrusion emerges as problem for both fesrh water abstraction and ground water bodies adjacent to the rivers. Alteration of flow velocity and direction affected the accessibility of smaller harbours in the river mouth and the natural environment (e.g. migration of fishes, wetlands) of the river is deteriorating. Integrated policies such as the European Water Framework Directive aims at improving the ecological and chemical status of water bodies. Recently approved legislation tackling the water quantity (e.g. flood risk management) issues or the marine environment poses further challenges on the management of estuaries as transition zone between land and sea. This presentation provides an overview of the development in estuarine management in the Weser estuary. Referring to the pending planning approval for the recent fairway adaptation in the Weser further stresses are expected on the natural as well as the human environment. The presentation will compile the existing investigation results of several (sectoral) research projects and propose a framework for an integrated participatory management approach