Tools for geodiversity

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Tools for geodiversity spatial planning the
soil functions of the EU Soil Directive the
DPSIR approach

• Hanneke van den Ancker Pieter Dirk Jungerius
• Taiex Workshop Infra 25176
• New Practices in Geodiversity for a Sustainable
  Development of the Regions
• Sibiu, 8 10 oktober 2007

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Content

• soil in EU Soil Directive
• the seven soil functions
• the DSPIR model
• conclusions

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Soil in EU policy / Soil in science

• This Directive shall apply to soil forming the
  top layer of the earths crust situated between
  the bedrock and the surface, including bedrock
  exposures important for the geological heritage
  function, excluding groundwater as defined in
  Article 2(2) of Directive 2000/60/EC of the
  European Parliament and of the Council11.
• This Directive establishes a framework for the
  protection of soil and the preservation of the
  capacity of soil to perform any of the following
  environmental, economic, social and cultural
  functions

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The seven soil functions of the EU Soil
Directive 2006

• biomass production
• storing, filtering and transforming nutrients,
  substances and water
• biodiversity pool, such as habitats, species and
  genes
• physical and cultural environment for humans and
  human activities
• source of raw materials
• acting as carbon pool
• archive of geological and archaeological heritage

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The aim of Soil Directive

It lays down measures for the prevention of soil
degradation processes, both occurring naturally
and caused by a wide range of human activities,
which undermine the capacity of a soil to perform
those functions. Such measures include the
mitigation of the effects of those processes, and
the restoration and remediation of degraded soils
to a level of functionality consistent at least
with the current and approved future use.
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Dutch coast and coastal dunes as an example to
illustrate the use of seven soil functions and
DSPIR approach
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(a) biomass production
Aridity, poor nutrient content of the dune sand
and salt spray lead to low biomass production in
terms of quantity.

• On the other hand, the production of fish in the
  shallow waters, snails and shells on the tidal
  sandflats is extremely high. This makes these
  areas favourite breeding grounds and stopovers of
  migratory birds.

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(b) storing, filtering and transforming
nutrients, substances and water

• For many centuries drinking water water running
  from the dunes was an important source of
  drinking water, laundry and other industries
• . later river water from Rhine and Meuse was
  pumped into the dune valleys and after some
  period extracted ..
• now river water is infiltrated in deeper
  geological layers and dune ecology is being
  restored.

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(c) biodiversity pool, such as habitats, species
and genes
Biodiversity is the coastal area is high because
of geomorphological processes active, small-scale
differences in topography, exposition and soil
formation, the quality of the waters and the
specialisation of species to the extreme
conditions and poor substrates.

• 36 of the 99 Bird Directive Areas (blue circles)
  and 15 of the Habitat Directive Areas are found
  along the coast

Bird Directive Areas
Phoca vitulina
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(d) physical and cultural environment for humans
and human activities

• Sea defence is the most vital function of the
  coastal dunes, as half of our country is below
  sea level
• The coast receives the highest tourist numbers
  (highest population density in the world, 17
  million inhabitants on 41000 km2 of which 6000
  km2 are waters)
• The coast is a suitable location for sustainable
  energy.

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(e) source of raw materials

• For centuries dunes have been used a source of
  sand. Sand extraction now is prohibited. The main
  raw material presently produced in a sustainable
  manner is drinking water.

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(f) acting as carbon pool

• The desiccation of the dunes has resulted in loss
  of organic matter in soils on dune slopes and in
  the previously wet and peaty dune valleys.
  However, the amount of carbon involved in the
  dune system is relatively small.

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(g) archive of geological and archaeological
heritage

• The rich Holocene history of the Dutch coast and
  its dunes is scientifically well recorded and has
  high geoheritage value as well as archeological
  and cultural heritage value.

Former dune landscapes were painted by Dutch
masters such as Ruisdael
Digital Terrain Model of Late Medieval Comb
dunes
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Overview of the functionsof different coastal
habitats
 
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The second tool the DPSIR approach

• DPSIR is the causal framework adopted by the
  European Environment Agency for describing the
  interactions between society and the environment.

as adapted by Blum (2004)
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The State three coastal landscapesestuary,
closed dune coast, wadden

• Most of the coastal and dune habitattypes
  recognized by Natura 2000 occur along the Dutch
  coast.

1100 Open sea and tidal areas
1330 Salt marshes

from 2110 Embryonic shifting dunes to 2190
Humid dune slacks
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State The high Comb Dunes originated between
900 - 1600

• the reason for their formation are still unkown
• in Roman times a series of low beach ridges
  parallel to the coast occurred
• many ecologists presume these ridges are still
  formed, but secondary processes give rise to a
  very different geomorphology of blowouts

blowout in a comb dune
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The Drivers behind coastal change

• Main D(riving forces)
• position of the country in a tectonic basin
• isostatic adjustment after the Pleistocene
  glaciation
• increase of CO2 sea level rise
• changes in the sediment load of the rivers
• changes in ocean currents
• .

Geological Map of Europe Asch et al, 2005
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The Pressures

• P(ressures) and processes include- sea level
  rise up to possibly 0,5 m in 50 years time?
• - a higher risk of storm events
• - air pollution (excessive N and S from
  agriculture and industry)
• - lowering of the groundwater table by water
  extraction
• - removal of soil for nature restoration
  ideas, sometimes destroying the fossilized high
  dune comb ridges and archeological heritage

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The Impacts

• Among the I(mpacts) or Threats to the coastal
  dune landscape are coastal erosion and the shift
  from eolian to pluvial erosion processes and
  levelling of the dunes by nature management.

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Overview of impactson different coastal habitats
 
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The Responses

• The R(esponses) for the mitigation of the threats
  are a number of regulations and operational
  procedures issued by the ministries in charge of
  coastal defence and nature.

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An example of a response mimicking natural
processes

• Increasing the height of dikes has its
  limitations.
• Sand suppletion mimicks the natural
  geomorphological process of sediment brought to
  the sea by the rivers and spread out along the
  coast by longshore current.

Foreshore suppletion is cheapest and most natural
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Overview of responsesfor different coastal
habitats
 
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Conclusions

• the seven soil functions of the Soil Directive
  and the DPSIR approach are useful tools in making
  geodiversity and geoheritage operational in
  spatial planning
• they can contribute to a wider acceptance of the
  EU Soil Directive
• and can help in the objective evaluation of
  problems within the EU