Consecuencias del dragado y vertido de arena estuarina en la Reserva de la Biosfera de Urdaibai (Golfo de Bizkaia): el caso de la “ola izquierda de Mundaka”

ABSTRACT. In the spring of 2003, 240,000 m3 of sand were dredged from the main channel of the lower Oka estuary (Urdaibai Reserve of the Biosphere) and dumped on the southern area of Laida beach located at the estuary mouth. After few months, strong erosion of the deposited sediments occured as a consequence of the northwards migration of the final meander of the main estuarine channel before it reached the estuary inlet. At the same time, the estuarine inlet abandoned its original position near the rocky western margin and migrated eastwards cutting and eroding the sandy ebb delta (Mundaka sand bar). This caused a change in the way the incident wave broke as it reached the shallow water of the ebb tidal delta and beach and made surfing impossible under the same optimal conditions previously enjoyed due to the production of a wave that gradually broke from right to left as it reached shallow water, the so called “Mundaka left wave”. As a consequence, the Billabong Pro surf championship was cancelled in 2005. This paper describes the results obtained during a study of the outer estuary carried out during the period May 2005-April 2006 to characterize the processes operating on the most dynamic area of the estuary throughout the year and to evaluate the influence that the anthropogenic activities in the estuary had on the wave characteristics. No corrective measures were taken in the outer estuary during the study period and the environment recovered its normal morphological features naturally. This natural restoration it is hoped will be more stable, long lasting and reliable to ensure the continuing future of the “Mundaka left wave”.RESUMEN. En primavera del año 2003, la necesidad de mayor calado condujo a la realización de un dragado con la extracción de aproximadamente 240.000 m3 de arena del canal principal del estuario inferior del Oka (Reserva de la Biosfera de Urdaibai) y su vertido en la zona supramareal sur de la playa de Laida situada en la desembocadura del mismo. Desde la finalización de este vertido, se observó en la zona una fuerte erosión debido a la migración lateral del último meandro del canal estuarino antes de su desembocadura. Paralelamente, se produjo una variación morfológica del canal de desembocadura, con el paulatino abandono de su posición original junto al margen rocoso oeste de la ría y la aparición de un canal alternativo hacia el este que seccionaba el delta de reflujo (barra arenosa de Mundaka). Esta variación provocó un cambio en las características del oleaje incidente imposibilitando la práctica del surf en las condiciones idóneas que se disfrutaban hasta entonces y obligando a la cancelación en 2005 de una de las pruebas de surf más importantes del mundo, el Billabong Pro. Este trabajo muestra una síntesis de los resultados obtenidos en el estudio de la zona más externa del estuario del Oka durante el período Mayo 2005-Abril 2006 con el fin de caracterizar los procesos que operan durante todo el año en la zona más dinámica de este estuario y evaluar la influencia que el dragado efectuado tuvo sobre la rotura del oleaje. Como consecuencia de no haber adoptado ninguna medida correctora en la zona exterior de la desembocadura, el propio sistema sedimentario y sus diferentes elementos constitutivos consiguieron de modo natural unas características morfológicas similares a las habituales en esa zona. Esta restauración natural será previsiblemente mucho más estable, duradera y segura de cara a garantizar el futuro de la “ola izquierda de Mundaka”

A participative method to build bridges between sustainability science and anticipatory governance at Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve (Basque Country)

A key-goal for governance is the translation of knowledge into planning. We recruited 125 representatives from society, technical-political and the scientific community in a participation process focused on the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve. We analysed their testimonials by using qualitative and quantitative methods, including Computer Assisted Qualitative Contents Analysis. We validated consensuses for future management, detailing criteria for a sustainable, collaborative, and anticipatory governance. The consensuses that stood out as most important have been the following: 1. Urdaibai should work towards human well-being and prosperity. 2. Synergies between institutions and society through participation strategies are necessary. 3. It is important to have a political leadership to guide governance. We can state that the participatory process carried out allowed participants to express shared horizons on future strategies. We present the methodology of this process as well as its results since we consider that both can be useful for managers of protected areas. Un objetivo clave de la gobernanza es la traducción del conocimiento en planificación. Para ello, reclutamos a 125 representantes de la sociedad, de la comunidad técnico-política y de la científica, para que tomaran parte en un proceso de participación centrado en la Reserva de la Biosfera de Urdaibai. Analizamos sus testimonios utilizando métodos cualitativos y cuantitativos, incluido el Análisis de Contenidos Cualitativos Asistido por Ordenador. Validamos consensos para la gestión futura y detallamos criterios para una gobernanza sostenible, colaborativa y anticipatoria. Los consensos que los participantes han destacado como más importantes han sido los siguientes: 1. Urdaibai debe trabajar por el bienestar y la prosperidad de sus habitantes. 2. Son necesarias sinergias entre las instituciones y la sociedad a través de estrategias de participación. 3. Es importante contar con un liderazgo político que oriente la gobernanza. Podemos afirmar que el proceso participativo llevado a cabo ha permitido a los participantes expresar horizontes compartidos sobre estrategias de futuro. Presentamos la metodología de este proceso, así como, sus resultados, ya que consideramos que ambos pueden ser de utilidad para los gestores de las áreas protegidas. Available from: https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-139

The status and future of essential geodiversity variables

Rapid environmental change, natural resource overconsumption and increasing concerns about ecological sustainability have led to the development of 'Essential Variables' (EVs). EVs are harmonized data products to inform policy and to enable effective management of natural resources by monitoring global changes. Recent years have seen the instigation of new EVs beyond those established for climate, oceans and biodiversity (ECVs, EOVs and EBVs), including Essential Geodiversity Variables (EGVs). EGVs aim to consistently quantify and monitor heterogeneity of Earth-surface and subsurface abiotic features, including geology, geomorphology, hydrology and pedology. Here we assess the status and future development of EGVs to better incorporate geodiversity into policy and sustainable management of natural resources. Getting EGVs operational requires better consensus on defining geodiversity, investments into a governance structure and open platform for curating the development of EGVs, advances in harmonizing in situ measurements and linking heterogeneous databases, and development of open and accessible computational workflows for global digital mapping using machine-learning techniques. Cross-disciplinary collaboration and partnerships with governmental and private organizations are needed to ensure the successful development and uptake of EGVs across science and policy. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Geodiversity for science and society'

Primeros pasos en la puesta en valor de la geodiversidad y el patrimonio geológico de la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco

Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y EvoluciónFac. de Ciencias BiológicasTRUEpu

Participatory process to prioritize actions for asustainable management in a biosphere reserve

The aim of the study was to analyze a participation process for the implementation of a sustainable land management plan in the Urdaibai biosphere reserve in northern Spain. We have analyzed the forecasted changes that would result from the implementation of the participatory process, including a quantitative evaluation of actions needed to achieve the desired outcome. We integrated participatory methods with quantitative analysis, which has allowed us to successfully identify and prioritize the proposed actions. The participatory process has lead to social learning, relationship building and an enhancement of participants’ understanding of other perspectives. Moreover, quantitative analysis has allowed us to identify actions that would have more beneficial effects for the different properties held in the territory, so that we can prioritize needed actions depending on the properties that we want to improve. The participatory process highlighted the importance of taking measures for the more sustainable development of local communities in the biosphere reserve. We believe that this methodology could be readily applied in other biosphere reserves

Holocene environmental evolution and relative sea-level change in the Oka estuary (Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, northern Spain)

The Holocene environmental evolution in coastal areas, including deltas and estuaries, is vital to understanding coastal dynamics and how they may change in the future. Here, we studied the Holocene environmental evolution of the Oka estuary (Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, northern Spain) from sedimentary cores that were 11–49 m long. We applied a multi-proxy approach of benthic foraminifera and grain size, and a temporal framework of radiocarbon dates to reconstruct paleoenvironments. The benthic foraminifera assemblages varied from near-marine (allochthonous and autochthonous hyaline species such as Lobatula lobatula, Rosalina irregularis, Ammonia tepida and Haynesina germanica) to brackish intertidal (autochthonous hyaline species such as A. tepida and H. germanica) to salt-marsh (autochthonous agglutinated species Trochammina inflata and Entzia macrescens) environments. Grain size analysis supported the foraminiferal assemblages and the sedimentary sequences were sand-dominated in near-marine intertidal environments and mud-dominated in the brackish intertidal and salt-marsh environments. The chronology was constrained by thirty four radiocarbon dates from plant macrofossils, marine shells and wood fragments. Our paleoenvironmental reconstructions were used to produce an updated local Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) record based on new data, revised reconstructions, and age recalibration of previous research. Marine limiting dates showed that RSL changed from above −20.4 ± 0.2 m at ∼9100 cal. yrs. BP to above −4.2 ± 0.2 m at ∼6700 cal. yrs. BP. In the late Holocene, sea-level index points (SLIPs) reconstructed the RSL position from −2.7 ± 1.2 m at ∼4900 cal. yrs. BP to −1.4 ± 1.2 m at ∼1500 cal. yrs. BP. Estimates of rates of RSL change from the Errors-in-Variables Integrated Gaussian Process (EIV-IGP) model show RSL gradually rose at 0.3 ± 2.1 mm yr−1 in the late Holocene. There was a progressive shallowing of the estuary as rates of RSL rise reduced during the Holocene. Between ∼9000 and 7000-6000 cal. yrs. BP pre-Holocene fluvial gravels (Lowstand Systems Tract) were replaced by both sandy marine and brackish intertidal sediments (Transgressive Systems Tract). After ∼7000-6000 cal. yrs. BP salt-marsh sediments deposited (Highstand Systems Tract). The sequence was overlain by anthropogenic deposits derived from agricultural, dredging and dumping activities since the 18th century (Anthropogenic Systems Tract). The Holocene environmental evolution and relative sea-level change of Oka is broadly consistent with previous studies in northern Spain, although it places the onset of the Highstand Systems Tract ∼2000 years earlier.Ministry of Education (MOE)National Research Foundation (NRF)Submitted/Accepted versionThis research was funded through the years by the projects UNESCO04/05, UNESCO06/08, Harea-Coastal Geology Group (Basque Government, IT332-07, IT365-10, IT767-13, IT976-16 and IT1616-22), TANYA (MICINN, CGL2009-08840), K-Egokitzen II (Basque Govern- ment, Climate Change: Impact and Adaptation, Etortek 2010), Antro- picosta (MINECO, CGL2013-41083-P), Antropicosta-2 (RTI2018- 095678-B-C21, MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and ERDF A way of making Europe and European Union) and UFI11/09 (UPV/EHU). BPH and TL are supported by the Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund MOE2019-T3-1-004 and MOE-T2EP50120-0007, the National Research Foundation Singapore, and the Singapore Ministry of Education, under the Research Centers of Excellence initiative

Modelling the morphological response of the Oka estuary (SE Bay of Biscay) to climate change

Adaptation in and around estuaries, to ensure the future resilience of both the natural environment and the communities that are located alongside is an increasingly pressing need. As part of an adaptation planning program for the Basque estuaries (northern Spain, south-eastern Bay of Biscay), a modelling system to simulate the morphological response of the Oka estuary to climate change has been developed. Existing knowledge was used as the basis to frame this pilot modelling examining both the short-term change (storm, seasonal, annual) and the longer-term changes (decades to eons). In this paper, we focus on the long-term response and consideration of the output from the process model is limited to the data that was extracted to help parameterize the long-term model. The latter was then used to examine the response of the estuary to the past changes over a historical time scale, where observations from foraminiferal analysis and saltmarsh response were used to establish the predictive validity of the model.Forcing the model with a linear rate of sea level rise representative of the 20th century, the estuary keeps pace with sea level rise in agreement with the observations. An 18.6-year periodic variability was identified over the saltmarshes, by including the effect of the nodal tide, with the last deposition maximum occurring in 2020.The effect of the opening of a saltmarsh that was drained at the beginning of the 18th century was investigated using a simplified schematization and showed sedimentation rates of up to one order of magnitude larger than in natural marsh, in general agreement with the rates obtained in previous studies.To predict the future response of the estuary, simulations with an exponential sea level rise were performed using scenarios obtained from the latest IPCC projections. The estuary fails to keep pace with sea level rise in any of the scenarios considered. The attendant increase in the hydroperiod over the saltmarshes is also likely impact to saltmarsh species productivity and distribution.Despite the simplifications inherent to the model, and the simplifications made in the representation of the estuary and forcing conditions, the methods presented here provide additional insights into long-term behaviour that complement information obtained from more detailed, but short-term, process models. The combined modelling approach allows adaptation measures to climate change to be considered over longer timescales

Women and property rights : a human rights and gender challenge to churches and society in Kenya (reference to the Meru community of Kenya)

In many developing countries like Kenya, issues of gender discrimination are evident in form of unequal inheritance and property rights. While there seems to be numerous campaigns for the advocacy of gender equality and human rights in all aspects, the practicability is something yet to be visualized. In Kenya for instance, customary law is quite dominant hence sabotaging any attempt to promote gender equality. In this paper, it has been noted that due to the impact customary law has especially on property rights, many have the feeling that security is more important than claiming for gender equality. Needless to say, this of course goes hand in hand with the primitive or traditional beliefs and practices that are still adored with high esteem. The question of women rights to property inheritance in Kenya is therefore not without suspicions and mixed feelings. Besides other aspects like poverty and illiteracy among many women, there is the challenge of some traditional beliefs and practices that can be harmful to their lives. Instead of empowering women with the rights to inherit family properties, especially after the death of their spouses, many have the traditional primitive view that a woman needs to be inherited together with other properties of the deceased; after all she too is part of the properties the deceased owned. A lot therefore needs to be done in order to improve the current situation of women’s rights to inherit properties in Kenya. Key words: Gender discrimination, customary law, Traditional beliefs and practices, poverty, and illiteracy