10 research outputs found
Futen en schelpdieren op het IJsselmeer in verband met te vermijden effecten door wolhandkrabvisserij
Aanvulling op de passende beoordeling mechanische winning van pieren door Arenicola B.V. op de Vlakte van Kerken (Waddenzee)
A method for improving Centre for Environmental Studies (CML) characterisation factors for metal (eco)toxicity — the case of zinc gutters and downpipes
Gebiedsverkenning van drie windenergiegebieden in de Noordzee : Hollandse Kust (west), IJmuiden Ver en Ten noorden van de Waddeneilanden
Supplementary note to report Seine fishing on the Dutch and German parts of the Dogger Bank, 2013-2019 : overview of the economic importance and the ecologic impact of the Belgian, British, Danish, Dutch, French, German and Swedish fleets : additional calculations to separate the impacts of Scottish seine and Danish seine
Developing an Environmental Impact Assessment for Floating Island Applications
In the Space@Sea project a conceptual study is performed to develop standardized cost efficient floating modular islands with low environmental impact. As these floating modular islands are introduced for a purpose which is likely to determine the environmental impact, possible applications were considered: living, aquaculture, ports and logistics, and energy hub. The aim of this study is to develop a structured approach for Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) of floating modular islands and their applications as these are considered within the Space@Sea project. To contribute to the efficiency and sustainability of future floating island developments, early awareness of the likely environmental consequences is important and requires a solid knowledge base. To that end we recommend a screening approach to identify the main threats to the marine ecosystem and their potential impacts at the earliest (conceptual) stage of development. For each Space@Sea type of application, this screening approach should identify the main threats through an EIA that links critical pressures with sensitive ecosystem components. While conventional impact assessments only consider negative impacts, we also consider potential environmental benefits of floating islands. This not only to enhance more environmental-friendly designs but also to provide a balanced perspective which considers not only threats but also opportunities in future developments and implementation of floating islands and their applications.</p
Assessment of the impact of gillnet fishery on seabirds in a possible Natura 2000-area Brown Ridge : intensity, economic value and risk for qualifying seabird species within five optional geographic borders
A roadmap towards quantitative cumulative impact assessments : Every step of the way
Currently most Cumulative Impacts Assessments (CIAs) are risk-based approaches that assess the potential impact of human activities and their pressures on the ecosystem thereby compromising the achievement of policy objectives. While some of these CIAs apply actual data (usually spatial distributions) they often have to rely on categorical scores based on expert judgement if they actually assess impact which is often expressed as a relative measure that is difficult to interpret in absolute terms. Here we present a first step-wise approach to conduct a fully quantitative CIA based on the selection and subsequent application of the best information available. This approach systematically disentangles risk into its exposure and effect components that can be quantified using known ecological information, e.g. spatial distribution of pressures or species, pressure-state relationships and population dynamics models with appropriate parametrisation, resulting in well-defined assessment endpoints that are meaningful and can be easily communicated to the recipients of advice. This approach requires that underlying assumptions and methodological considerations are made explicit and translated into a measure of confidence. This transparency helps to identify the possible data-handling or methodological decisions and shows the resulting improvement through its confidence assessment of the applied information and hence the resulting accuracy of the CIA. To illustrate this approach, we applied it in a North Sea CIA focussing on two sectors, i.e. fisheries and offshore windfarms, and how they impact the ecosystem and its components, i.e. seabirds, seabed habitats and marine mammals through various pressures. The results provide a “proof of concept” for this generic approach as well as rigorous definitions of several of the concepts often used as part of risk-based approaches, e.g. exposure, sensitivity, vulnerability, and how these can be estimated using actual data. As such this widens the scope for increasingly more quantitative CIAs using the best information available.</p