Marine spatial planning: Lessons learned from the Portuguese debate

This paper presents and discusses legal, methodological and political frameworks for the development of the proposed Portuguese Marine Spatial Plan initiated in 2008. It considers lessons learned and is informed by discussions that have taken place since publication of the ‘Roadmap for Maritime Spatial Planning: Achieving Common Principles in the EU’. New goals are based on horizontal planning tools that cut across sea-related sectoral policies and support joined up policy making. It is in this context that Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) emerged as an essential process for sustainable decision making. The OSPAR Commission undertook an overview of national planning systems within its administrative boundaries, which confirmed spatial plans reduced conflicts. However, problems exist accessing good quality data and dealing with entrenched sectoral views. Furthermore, the transboundary nature of marine resources requires cooperation between neighbouring states. In 2006, Portugal developed a ‘National Sea Strategy’ that recognized the importance of developing its maritime space while valuing marine habitats and biodiversity. MSP development of the Portuguese sea commenced in 2008 and findings are now evaluated. They showed adaptation of existing tools to be possible and desirable, provided undertaken cautiously and found conceptual ambiguities were barriers to conflict resolution. Furthermore they showed management strategies should be designed and analysed on a case by case basis, recognising temporal and spatial variations.     

Distinctly variable mudscapes: Distribution gradients of intertidal macrofauna across the Dutch Wadden Sea

The Wadden Sea is a shallow coastal region, with a large area of sedimentary tidal flats that extends from The Netherlands to Denmark and has been declared a site of international importance in the Dutch and German parts (Ramsar status and UNESCO World Heritage Site). Benthic macrofauna are central to the ecosystem functioning of this area, as they recycle nutrients, decompose organic matter and are an important food source for many secondary consumers, like fish and waterbirds. Due to the environmental gradients characteristic of estuarine systems, it is expected that changes in assemblage composition will be observed across the physical and environmental gradients of the Wadden Sea. First, we explored the spatial variation in assemblage composition of benthic macrofauna across the intertidal part of the Dutch Wadden Sea using 3 years of biomass data. Then, we identified the relative importance of six environmental variables for explaining and predicting changes in assemblage composition across the intertidal areas of the Wadden Sea using generalised dissimilarity modelling (GDM). In accordance with the environmental gradients across this system, the biomass contributed by a few common species differed from west to east and were distinct in the Dollard. In the west, bivalves Mya arenaria, Cerastoderma edule and Ensis directus contributed a relatively large and equal share of the total biomass, whereas C. edule contributed the sole largest share of the total biomass towards the east. The polychaete Alitta succinea became a large share of the total biomass in the upper Ems and in the Dollard estuary, but contributed little elsewhere. Similar to the observed differences in species composition, the spatial patterns in assemblage composition, as predicted by the GDM models, identified the Dollard as distinct and that the prevalence of assemblage types in the west differed to the east. Median grain size, followed by microphytobenthic biomass, and exposure time were the most important variables describing differences in assemblage composition. That the Wadden Sea forms a heterogeneous landscape where assemblage composition varies across multiple gradients has repercussions for management and monitoring.     

生态文明背景下海洋经济高质量发展路径探索———以海南为例

生态文明是海洋经济发展的自然基础和约束条件,赋予了海洋经济发展更丰富的内涵。海洋经济高质量发展是生态文明背景下海洋经济发展的必然趋势,其内涵包含:（1）转变海洋经济增长方式,优化产业结构,增强内生动力,实现海洋经济量的稳定增长;（2）有效提升海洋生态产品供给能力;（3）提升社会福祉。海南省作为我国海洋面积最大的省,具有...     

海洋生态保护补偿绩效评价的核心问题探讨

绩效评价是保障生态补偿机制运行效率的关键环节之一。尽管我国已基本形成了生态保护补偿的总体框架,并在海洋生态保护与修复领域取得了一定进展和成效,但同时暴露出补偿资金来源单一、使用不够精准、激励作用不强等突出问题。如何制定科学合理的绩效评价体系,客观判断生态补偿效果与政策目标的实际偏差,识别政策执行不到位、影响效力发挥的短板,是未来生态补偿理论探索的重要方向和我国生态保护补偿实践的迫切需求。本研究从生态、经济和社会三个维度剖析了生态保护补偿绩效的主要评价内容,从政策本身、政策执行主体和政策目标群体的角度入手,讨论了生态保护补偿绩效的影响因素;结合海洋生态保护补偿的实践内容与进度、海洋生态保护补偿区的共同特点以及数据资料的可获取性等,探讨了海洋生态保护补偿绩效评价方法、指标体系和监管机制,以期为提高海洋生态保护补偿质量贡献新思路,为完善与优化生态保护补偿机制提供科学参考。     

Variability of the salinity in the western Wadden Sea on tidal to centennial time scales

Daily observations of the salinity of the Marsdiep tidal inlet, which connects the Dutch western Wadden Sea with the North Sea, already started over 140 years ago, in 1860. Since the year 2000 the sampling frequency has increased because of the use of electronic sensors. Analysis of these salinity data have revealed variations on time scales from tidal (~ 12 hour), seasonal, inter-annual, and multi-decadal, to centennial. The contributions of the salinity variations in the Marsdiep for these different spectral bands or time scales are all of the order of a standard deviation of 0.5 to 1. The centennial variation, which can be expressed as a 140 year long salinity trend, is related to engineering works on the rivers Rhine and IJssel, which already started in the early 18-th century, and more than doubled the magnitude of the freshwater content of the western Wadden Sea since then. In contrast with this anthropogenic salinity trend, the climatic variability of the precipitation over western Europe, and the connected changes in the Rhine discharge, are mainly responsible for the inter-annual variations in the salinity and/or freshwater content of the western Wadden Sea. Since variations in salinity and freshwater content also reflect variations in the terrigeneous and river influence on the Wadden ecosystem, e.g. via the nutrient content, it can be expected that the ecology of the Wadden Sea also experienced changes on centennial time scales.     

The Decline of the North Sea Whelk (Buccinum undatum L.) Between 1970 and 1990: A Natural or a Human-Induced Event?

Abstract. Recent surveys in the southern and central North Sea and the Dutch Wadden Sea revealed that the whelk Buccinun undarum L. can no longer be found in areas where whelks were abundant twenty or more years ago.
The decline of whelk populations tends to coincide with areas of various, intense human activities, which may cause either pollution or physical damage. Potential causes for the decline of whelks from the southern North Sea and coastal areas are discussed and considered in view of North Sea ecology and protective policies for the North Sea.     

Role of perceptions and knowledge in the impact assessment for the extension of Mainport Rotterdam

The Dutch government wants to expand Mainport Rotterdam, one of the largest ports in the world, by land reclamation in the North Sea. This may affect the Wadden Sea, a unique wetlands area protected by the European Bird and Habitat Directives. To assess the impact of the port extension on the Wadden Sea, an Appropriate Assessment procedure was carried out. We investigated how stakeholders’ perceptions were dealt with and how knowledge was used in this decision-making process. Our findings form an argument for practitioners in marine and coastal management to choose a process-oriented approach to deal with complex issues.     

基于生态文明思想的围填海历史遗留问题处理理论与实践——以大连港太平湾港区和中新天津生态城为例

长期大规模围填海活动在振兴沿海地区经济的同时,也严重破坏了海岸带生态系统。文章梳理了关于加强滨海湿地保护、严格管控围填海的一系列政策要求与技术指南;以大连港太平湾港区和中新天津生态城为例,分别分析了港口工业区和滨海生态旅游区的围填海历史遗留问题处理与生态保护修复实践,并提出了生态优先,绿色发展;自然恢复为主,人工修复为辅;陆海统筹,生态融合;问题导向,科学修复;科技支撑,示范带动等新发展阶段下海洋生态保护修复的建议。     

半封闭海域生态修复策略研究——以渤海为例

渤海作为我国唯一的半封闭型海域,是京津冀城市群蓬勃发展的战略支撑和关键依托,其生态环境的稳定与沿岸人类福祉息息相关,其生态环境修复是近年来该领域的研究热点。文章重点围绕全球气候变化和人类活动对渤海生态环境的影响进行了剖析,通过综合对比分析国内外其他类似水域或地区的生态修复既有成果,立足渤海水域特点和现状,提出动态思维与整体保护原则、生境连通性修复原则、不同时空尺度修复原则等生态修复原则,并指出渤海生态修复需理性规划渔业经济活动,统筹考虑渤海生态与冲淡水之间的关系,建议运用前瞻性的思维模式和理念,合理预测、规划、定位、配置、实施和维护渤海生态系统的稳定,重点探索应对全球气候变化的最佳适应性管理策略。     

Spatially explicit economic assessment of cultural ecosystem services: Non-extractive recreational uses of the coastal environment related to marine biodiversity

The adoption of comprehensive marine spatial plans (MSP) requires that all aspects of value associated with marine biodiversity are considered in their development. Therefore, a holistic approach to MSP needs to include the ecological, social and economic aspects related to the range of goods and services provided by marine biodiversity. In temperate coastal areas however, extractive uses of marine biodiversity (i.e., fisheries) tend to receive more consideration than other non-extractive uses such as certain forms of recreation. This is primarily due to its economic and social importance and a lack of information on non-extractive uses of marine biodiversity. This study presents an assessment of the economic importance and spatial distribution of non-extractive uses of marine biodiversity (diving, kayaking, wildlife watching from boats and seabird watching) in the coastal temperate area of Wales and its application to MSP. The assessment of the economic importance and spatial distribution of these uses was ascertained through questionnaires with relevant users. Results indicated that the economic importance of non-extractive recreational uses of marine biodiversity in Wales is comparable to that of commercial fisheries for the same region. Spatially there was a significant degree of overlap among areas used by the different recreational groups studied here and the distribution of uses could be linked to different aspects of marine biodiversity, such as the presence of particular habitats in the case of divers. The integration of spatially explicit socioeconomic data for a range of different uses of marine biodiversity enables policy makers to gain useful insight into the potential consequences of implementing a spatial management regime, as certain uses can be sometimes overlooked but are still essential if we are to consider the impact of spatial planning on all economically relevant activities. Such data provide a balanced overview of the value of marine biodiversity to different sectors of society and contributes to the process of developing comprehensive marine spatial plans.     

基于多源数据的山东省围填海造地特点及发展趋势研究

文章基于文献资料分析、官方数据汇总、国产高分辨率资源卫星遥感影像信息提取以及发展趋势研判等方法,对改革开放以来山东省全海域范围内围填海造地的历史发展、现状特征、发展趋势及其对生态环境的影响进行了分析和总结,并提出相关的政策建议。研究表明:改革开放以来,山东省围填海造地累计已超过4.58万hm~2。21世纪以来围填海造地进入快速增长时期,尤其是2010年以来,全省围填海造地又掀起了一次新的热潮,其面积和速度都远远超过了历史水平。鉴于围填海造地对环境和生态的巨大影响,文章提出了加强管理、严格环境影响评价、引入生态环境补偿机制以及建立分级填海评估制度和年度监测机制等建议。     

No microzooplankton grazing during a Mediopyxis helysia dominated diatom bloom

The new diatom species Mediopyxis helysia was described to science from clones found in 2003 in the North Sea, northern Wadden Sea, and the Gulf of Maine. Seven years after its first occurrence, we observed Mediopyxis to contribute up to almost 50% of the biovolume of the diatoms during a diatom spring bloom in the western Wadden Sea. Grazing experiments based on the dilution technique could not detect any microzooplankton grazing impact on the bloom community. Mediopyxis is now also well established in the western Wadden Sea and does have the potential to become a dominant species. The reasons for its success remain largely unresolved but avoidance of being grazed might be one factor. Future research on this new species is needed to understand the success and forecast the ecological footprint of this large diatom species arriving in the western European Seas.     

‘ Global Change ’ Impact of Inter-Annual Variation in Water Discharge as a Driving Factor to Dredging and Spoil Disposal in the River Rhine System and of Turbidity in the Wadden Sea

Between 1970 to 2000, the annual mean suspended matter (SPM) concentrations in the Vlie and Marsdiep tidal inlets of the Wadden Sea varied over five times. The present paper examines the possible relationship between SPM in the Wadden Sea and changing river Rhine discharges and dredging operations. The major short-term variations in annual mean SPM in part of the Wadden Sea appears to be a non-linear, exponential, function of river Rhine discharge and dredge spoil disposal (110 km to over 200 km from the area in front of the Dutch coast near the river Rhine outlet). Correlation coefficients (with SPM as the fixed and dredge disposal as the independent variable) ranged from R=0·8 (deep tidal inlet of Marsdiep) to R=0·2 (shallow inner area of Vlie) and weakened mainly as a function of distance to the disposal site. The best correlation with river discharge was for Marsdiep tidal inlet (r=0·45), indicating the superior effect of dredge disposal over river discharge-related processes. Taking the estimated regression equation as an explorative model, indicates that, without any disposal of dredge spoil, the expected SPM concentration levels in the tidal inlets of the Wadden Sea will be <15 g m⁻³ (comparable to the 1950s). The overall mean (and the highest mean) annual concentrations for the investigation period reached 42 (90) g m⁻³ at Marsdiep and 35 (75) g m⁻³ at Vlie. Assuming a 10% (220 m⁻³ s⁻¹) increase in river Rhine discharge over the next 50 years, and unchanged dredging policy and other circumstances, SPM concentrations would increase 5–15% for Marsdiep and Vlie. Compared with the calculated (12·4 g m⁻³ SPM in Marsdiep and 14·8 g m⁻³ SPM in Vlie) and measured (15 g m⁻³ SPM in Marsdiep) background SPM concentrations, the expected overall mean increase since 1950 is at least 250% of background. The natural variation in river Rhine discharge will cause further inter-annual variation. Changes in SPM concentrations, due to expected changes in wind climate, combined with river discharge are estimated to increase SPM concentrations 20% above the present situation. The possible implications of changes in land use in combination with further increasing river discharge, changed wind fields and increased temperature are discussed. An important management conclusion is that increasing mean river discharge will significantly increase the need for dredging and spoil disposal, and result in further elevated SPM concentrations in the Dutch coastal zone and the Wadden Sea. The presented relationships offer possibilities for developing new management strategies in relation to dredging and its effects.     

Assessing potential spatial and temporal conflicts in Washington's marine waters

This paper uses spatial, temporal, and use-intensity data for 27 major marine uses in Washington waters to feature a method for assessing potential use conflicts in a variety of scenarios. The study represents a first step towards quantifying potential conflicts within Washington’s Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) study area by using a cumulative analysis to highlight high- and low-use intensity areas and the novel Marine Potential Conflict Index (MPCI), which incorporates space, time, and intensity of use, to quantify pairwise potential conflicts between uses. About 10% of pairs of uses do not overlap spatially and are likely compatible with one another. Temporally, the number of uses peaks in July and August and falls during January and February. Additionally, the MPCI identified three important use types with a substantial degree of potential conflict: commercial fishing, tribal fishing, and shipping. External data were used in three cases to ground-truth the analysis, as a limited test of its utility in managing any potential conflict. This article assesses the extent of Washington’s existing marine uses along spatial, temporal, and intensity axes, and more broadly provides a straightforward way to examine potential conflicts between marine uses.     

Is there a win–win scenario for marine nature conservation? A case study of Lyme Bay,England

A statutory two hundred and six square kilometre ‘closed area’ in Lyme Bay, South West England entered into force on the 11 July 2008 to protect the reef substrate and the associated biodiversity from the impacts of trawling and dredging with heavy demersal fishing gear. This case study provides an example of how the ecosystem approach has been incorporated into decision making for marine nature conservation and shows that despite sound ecological knowledge of a marine area, the current reliance on traditional neo-classical economic valuations for marine spatial planning can obscure other issues pertinent to the ecosystem approach. With the Government seeking win–win scenarios for stakeholders in the designation of Marine Conservation Zones under the Marine and Coastal Access Act, experience of marine spatial planning in Lyme Bay has revealed that a win–win must be a long-term goal based on a thorough evaluation of the environmental, social and economic values of marine biodiversity.     

基于CiteSpace的海洋空间规划研究进展分析

文章基于CiteSpace对2000-2020年海洋空间规划研究进行了知识图谱和可视化分析,分析发文量、作者、机构、期刊影响力和合作网络变化,揭示研究热点的变化趋势。研究表明:欧美等经济发达国家和澳大利亚具有较高影响力,国家与机构间合作密切。海洋空间规划研究始终以生态系统和环境保护为中心,研究内容以政策研究和生态环境研究为主,研究热点由关注生态功能转变为以人类活动为主的整体功能规划研究,蓝色经济、蓝色发展是近些年的主要关键词。在海洋开发强度、范围不断增大,全球气候环境频繁变化的背景下,加强海洋观测和数据收集,探索海洋生态系统对环境影响和人类活动响应机制,加强生态模型在海洋应用,细化海洋空间规划管理措施,因海制宜地调整规划方案,实现生态保护和经济发展的齐头并进,是我国海洋空间规划研究的未来方向。     

海洋生态产品政策的经济效应: 提升供给效率与实现共同富裕——基于中国沿海省份的数据分析

为探讨海洋生态产品政策工具的经济效应,尤其是对提升其供给效率与实现共同富裕的叠加影响,本文在设计理论分析框架的基础上,基于中国沿海省、自治区、直辖市2009—2019年的数据分析,利用计量方法研究了共同富裕、海洋生态产品供给效率、海洋生态产品政策之间的作用机制和影响机理。结果显示:海洋生态产品政策可显著提升中国海洋生态产品供给效率,促进共同富裕;海洋生态产品政策在各区域的经济效应显著度呈东海-环渤海-南海依次递减的情况;产业结构、人均受教育年限、人口总数、人均存款、人均贷款、人均财政支出、人均财政收入、少数民族地区情况等因素均会对海洋生态产品政策的经济效应产生影响。提出建议:明确优化提升海洋生态产品供给效率和促进实现共同富裕的政策目标;研究有利于优化提升海洋生态产品供给效率和促进实现共同富裕的政策工具;做好区域海洋生态产品政策的构建与完善工作。     

Overlapping distributions of cryptic Scoloplos cf. armiger species in the western Wadden Sea

Unknowingly lumping cryptic species in biological monitoring studies hinders progress in understanding their functioning in a wide range of research fields including population dynamics, ecophysiology and community ecology. The common polychaete worm Scoloplos cf. armiger is a cryptic species complex comprising entirely different developmental modes: holobenthic and pelago-benthic development. In the northeast Atlantic, three putative species have been described on the basis of molecular data and a breeding study. We report on the development of a fast genotyping assay and on the occurrence and distribution of different molecular types in the western Wadden Sea. The genotyping assay consists of PCR-RFLP analysis by two enzymes of a mitochondrial (cox3-trnQ-nad6) DNA segment. A new, fourth type was observed and this was the only type whose geographical distribution was not uniform but instead skewed toward the eastern part of the study area. All three hitherto known types were also observed and these three displayed a significant difference in depth distribution within the study area. This is the first ecological difference reported for the ‘Subtidal Clade’ (SC) versus the ‘Type Locality Clade’ (TLC). The new type (‘Intertidal Clade 2’) had a similar distribution to what is known as the Intertidal Clade (IC). However, the most striking observation is the large degree of overlap between the depth distributions in the western Wadden Sea, where the clade names ‘Intertidal’ and ‘Subtidal’ do not necessarily reflect local species composition. The necessity to genotype Scoloplos cf. armiger in monitoring programs is emphasized.     

A Kalman Filter Approach to Realize the Lowest Astronomical Tide Surface

In this paper , we present a novel Kalman filter approach to combine a hydrodynamic model-derived lowest astronomical tide (LAT) surface with tide gauge record-derived LAT values. In the approach, tidal water levels are assimilated into the model. As such, the combination is guided by the model physics. When validating the obtained “Kalman-filtered LAT realization” at all tide gauges, we obtained an overall root-mean-square (RMS) difference of 15.1 cm. At the tide gauges not used in the data assimilation, the RMS is 17.9 cm. We found that the assimilation reduces the overall RMS difference by ～ 31% and ～ 22%, respectively. In the Dutch North Sea and Wadden Sea, the RMS differences are 6.6 and 14.8 cm (all tide gauges), respectively. Furthermore, we address the problem of LAT realization in intertidal waters where LAT is not defined. We propose to replace LAT by pseudo-LAT, which we suggest to realize similarly as LAT except that all water level boundary conditions and assimilated tidal water levels have to be enlarged by a constant value that is removed afterward. Using this approach, we obtained a smooth reference surface for the Dutch Wadden Sea that fits LAT at the North Sea boundary within a few centimeters.     

Field and model data analysis of sand transport patterns in Texel Tidal inlet (the Netherlands)

Texel inlet, the largest inlet in the Dutch Wadden Sea, has undergone drastic changes in the morphology of basin, ebb-tidal delta and adjacent coastlines after closure of a major part of its back-barrier basin. Despite intensive monitoring and analysis, present observation-based conceptual models lack the subtle physics necessary to explain the sand exchange between inlet, ebb-tidal delta and adjacent coastlines.Fundamental understanding of the inlet dynamics and evolution is obtained by integrating field and model data analysis. The state-of-the-art process-based model Delft3D Online Morphology has been used to generate synoptic data of high spatial and temporal resolution over the inlet domain. It is shown that the Delft3D Online Morphology model is capable of the quasi real-time simulation of the dominant flow and transport patterns over a 3-month period on the scale of the inlet. The high-resolution numerical model results prove to be a valuable tool in identifying the main transport patterns and mechanisms in the inlet domain. Qualitative transport patterns in Texel Inlet and its associated ebb-tidal delta are derived by integration of the observations and model results.The present ebb-tidal delta developments are best described as a second-stage self-organizing phase of redistribution and recirculation of sediments to obtain a natural dynamic equilibrium state, adapted to the changed configuration of the main-ebb channels. Sand is transported from the abandoned ebb-delta front (western margin of Noorderhaaks) and along the adjacent coastlines into the basin where it partly settles. Ebb-tidal currents redistribute sand back from the basin mainly onto the southern ebb-tidal delta shoals. Large gross transport rates, but small morphological changes, point to sediment recirculation. Sediment import into the basin results from net flood dominated transport due to tidal asymmetry, landward directed wind- and wave-driven flow, and larger flood transport capacities due to wave effects (e.g. enhanced bed shear stresses and stirring of sediment) that exceed the net ebb-dominated tidal residual transports.