Programme – ECSA 2025

The programme of this conference is uniquely centered around hands-on excursions allowing the participants to explore real-life examples of estuarine restoration in the field.
The excursions provide an immersive experience, showcasing the practical application of nature-based solutions and offering direct insights into the challenges and successes of adapting estuaries to global changes.

The detailed Programme can be found below:

The final programme:

PROGRAMME
Date	start	end		PRESENTER	TITLE
Mo 19/5	09:00	12:00	Registration desk open
	12:00	12:50	Lunch
	12:50	13:00	Welcome word ECSA	Jonathan Dale	Word of welcome
	13:00	13:45	Session I: Pelagic restoration	Patrick Meire	Keynote: Restoring the Scheldt – from theory to practice
	13:45	14:15		Koen Sabbe	Keynote: Plankton research in the Scheldt estuary: an overview of 3 decades of change
	14:15	14:30		Anaëlle Bernard	Zooplankton community changes in a restoring estuary
	14:30	14:45		Micky Tackx	Plankton resting stages and meiofauna of the Scheldt marshes
	14:45	15:00	Poster session I	Rik Debeer	Long-term phytoplankton dynamics in the Belgian part of the Schelde estuary
				Joris Vanlede	Modelling the Scheldt estuary: the SCALDIS model and its applications
				Anaëlle Bernard	Zooplankton, suprabenthos and fish in the restoring Scheldt
				Dorian Bas	Microphytobenthos biomass in high temporal resolution
	15:00	15:30	Coffee break
	15:30	15:45	Session II: Pelagic restoration	Frédéric Azémar	Pelagic communities and functioning of the upper part of the Seine estuary
	15:45	16:00		Céleste Mouth	Environmental factors as drivers of the spatial distribution of the copepods Eurytemora affinis and Eurytemora velox in the Scheldt tributaries and estuary.
	16:00	16:15		Ingrid Tulp	Comparison of fish communities between the last two remaining (natural) estuaries in the Netherlands and Belgium
	16:15	16:30		Luz Amadei Martínez	Phytoplankton enhances the flocculation of suspended particulate matter in a tidal, turbid estuary
	16:30	16:45		Mariam Idowu	Capturing salinity profile across the Schelde Estuary: A hybrid modelling approach
	16:45	17:00		Lirong Yuan	The tidal front dynamic process and ecological environment impact in an estuary crossroads formed by cape and island
	18:30		Symposium dinner
Tu 20/5	09:00	09:30	Session III: Intertidal restoration	Iris Möller	Keynote: ‘What comes first, the ‘geo’ or the ‘bio’?: Estuarine bio-geomorphological restoration and the importance of acknowledging time, space, and uncertainty through observation-based action’
	09:30	09:45		Victoria Mason	Restoring sufficiently wide marshes for coastal defence: identifying early indicators of cliff initiation and marsh retreat
	09:45	10:00		Jennie Graham	Increasing hydrological connectivity to facilitate ecological engineering and landscape transformation within a managed dyke realignment site in the Bay of Fundy
	10:00	10:15		Niels Van Putte	Improving groundwater dynamics: a crucial factor for successful tidal marsh restoration
	10:15	10:30	Poster session II	Oberon Geunens	Managed Realignment of Lillo’s Potpolder
				Brenda Walles	Thermal dynamics in intertidal sediments: the role of grain size and water content
				Hannah Bard	Cyclical Dynamics of Tidal Flats and Saltmarshes: Implications for Sustainable Management Practices
				Samantha Battaglia	Making Room for Wetlands 2.0: Managed realignment and tidal wetland restoration in Nova Scotia’s dykelands
				Laurent Bataille	Tides, Vegetation, and CO₂‚ Fluxes: Insights from 1.5 Years of Eddy Covariance Monitoring in a Brackish Coastal Wetland
	10:30	11:00	Coffee Break
	11:00	11:15	Session IV: Intertidal restoration	Gunther Van Ryckeghem	Tracking 25 Years of Change: Ecosystem Shifts and Food Web Dynamics in the Sea Scheldt Estuary
	11:15	11:30		Evert de Froe	Ecological development of benthic communities in nature restoration measures along the Western Scheldt
	11:30	11:45		Susanne Van Donk	Sediment nourishments to preserve foraging habitat for shorebirds in an erosive system
	11:45	12:00		Jim van Belzen	Priming Nourishments with Local Sediment to Accelerate Recovery: A Large-Scale In Situ Experiment
	12:00	12:15		Tim Grandjean	Ecological consequences of estuarine dredging
	12:15	12:30		Gijsbert Van Holland	Sustainable Sediment Reuse for Ecological Island Development in the Scheldt Estuary: A Case Study
	12:30	13:30	Lunch
	13:30	14:00	Session V: Intertidal restoration	Danika Van Proosdij	Keynote: Re-imagining Resilience of Dykeland Communities in a Changing Climate
	14:00	14:15		Jesse Bootsma	Assessing the role of intertidal habitats on estuarine hydrodynamics
	14:15	14:30		Gustavo Panique Casso	Drivers of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Estuarine Systems: Insights from the Scheldt Estuary
	14:30	14:45		Jing Feng	Geomorphic dynamics and climate change effects on the spatiotemporal patterns of estuarine saltmarsh phenology
	14:45	15:00		Noa Ligot	AquaForest: Nature-based-Solutions for restoring and developing new mangrove habitats through eco-engineering
	15:00	15:20	SIGMAplan introduction	Hans De Preter	SIGMAplan introduction
	15:30	17:00	Visit Antwerp Quays SIGMAplan
	15:30	17:00	Workshop Port of Antwerp-Bruges
We 21/5	09:00	09:30	Session VI: How to plan for restoration, define objectives, goals?	Mike Elliott	Keynote: Marine, coastal and estuarine restoration as an integral component of Ecosystem-based Management.
	09:30	09:45		Jonathan Dale	Is unmanaged realignment an appropriate saltmarsh restoration approach?
	09:45	10:00		Jeff Ollerhead	Recovery of salt marshes in the Bay of Fundy after restoration: What does recovery really mean?
	10:00	10:15		Vona Méléder	REWRITE project: Addressing the Climate-Biodiversity-Society Crisis in Coastal Zones using Rewilding approach
	10:15	10:30	Poster session III	Alicia Hamer	Small scale variability of thermal stress patterns in intertidal sediments: drivers and ecological implications.
				Dieter Meire	Tidal propagation in an estuary under sea level rise and morphological evolutions: a sensitivity analysis.
				Gustavo Panique Casso	Biogeochemical Drivers and Microbial Pathways of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Tidal Wetlands
				Nicolas Vanermen	ECOTIDE: a package designed for ecological modelling of the tidal Scheldt
				Annelies Boerema	Increasing complexity of project objectives results in a search for smart solutions
	10:30	11:00	Coffee break
	11:00	11:15	Session VII: How to plan for restoration, define objectives, goals?	Michaël De Beuckelaer-Dossche	Development of a vision on future-proof management of an estuary: the Integrated Plan of the Upper Sea Scheldt
	11:15	11:30		Dirk Vrebos	A model for evaluating ecosystem services in tidal restoration for enhanced flood protection.
	11:30	11:45		Bart Verheyen	Assess the spatial design of flood areas and local depoldering for proper ecological functioning, case studies along the Durme River
	11:45	12:00		Millie Lejeune	Analysis of biting midges Culicoides riethi in the Schelde basin
	12:00	12:15		Lucas Mignien	Enhancing Estuarine and Coastal Resilience to Climate Change with Nature-Based Solutions: A Systematic Review
	12:15	13:30	Lunch
	13:30	17:00	Excursion KBR
	18:00		Conclusion and BBQ
Th 22/5	09:00	09:30	Session VIII: Evaluation and monitoring	Laure Carassou	Keynote: From ecological theories to restoration practices in estuaries
	09:30	09:45		Sally Little	Linking the catchment and the seascape: nature-based solutions in tidal freshwaters
	09:45	10:00		Sylvain Cerisier	Evaluation of an ambitious program to restore Loire estuary : key question of spatial and temporal scales
	10:00	10:15		Vona Méléder	Enhancing knowledge and management of Seine estuary mudflats
	10:15	10:45	Coffee Break
	10:45	11:00	Session IX: Evaluation and monitoring	Benjamin Weigel	Assessing restoration success – fish community response to an incidental restoration event in the Gironde estuary (France)
	11:00	11:15		Tom Maris	Does the Sigmaplan ensure a healthy phytoplankton population in the Schelde estuary?
	11:15	11:30		Roy Münstermann	Does a recently restored intertidal wetland already contribute to water quality improvement? A case study of the Hedwige-Prosperproject.
	11:30	11:45		Dieter Meire	The effect of Hedwige-Prosperpolder on the tidal propgation in the Scheldt estuary
	11:45	12:00		Pali Gelsomini	Unveiling Full-Spatial Seasonal Dynamics in the Sea Scheldt Estuary: Integrating Satellite Remote Sensing with Long-Term Monitoring
	12:00	12:15		Goedele Verreydt	iFLUX: an innovative method to measure groundwater flow in newly restored tidal marsh areas
	12:15	13:15	Lunch
	13:15	13:45	Session X: Dynamic ecosystems versus static regulation	An Cliquet	Keynote: The EU Nature Restoration Regulation and estuarine ecosystems: moving towards recovery
	13:45	14:00		Ronny Blust	Challenges in setting environmental quality standards for chemical stressors in estuarine gradients
	14:00	14:15		Marcel Taal	Balancing towards a resilient Scheldt estuary
	14:15	14:30	Poster session IV	Joost Vanoverbeke	Defining the upper boundary of the marsh ecotope in the brackish and freshwater stretches of the Sea Scheldt
				Gijsbert Van Holland	Supporting Fairway Management and Flexible Disposal in the Western Scheldt
				Nico Reinhold	On possibilities and limitations of predictions in estuarine systems
				Bart De Maerschalck	AMORAS sediment treatment: Estimate of sediment import through lock exchange at the right-bank port of Antwerp
				Abigail Mackay	Restoring tidal freshwater zones: The use of environmental DNA to monitor fish communities
	14:30	15:00	Coffee Break
	15:00	15:15	Session XI: Dynamic ecosystems versus static regulation	Roeland Adams	System evaluation based on an integrated model approach: the model train of the Upper Sea Scheldt
	15:15	15:30		Hendrik Schoukens	From static to adaptive: how case law can influence the regulation of dynamic estuarine ecosystems in the context of nitrogen, PFAS, and climate change.
	15:30	15:45		Nienke van der Burgt	Stakeholder dynamics and the role of legal instruments in transboundary biodiversity governance. Can the Nature Restoration Law play a role in facilitating consensus?
	15:45	16:15	Closing	Patrick Meire	Closing word + announcements
	16:15	17:30	Reception
	19:30		Cultural excursion KMSKA
Fri 23/5	09:00	17:00	Optional excursions

Visit of the SIGMAPLAN Quays by De Vlaamse Waterweg nv

For this visit we walk from the conference venue to the quays. We will be walking along these quays for about 1 hour, guided by engineers from De Vlaamse Waterweg nv. They will focus on the technical challenges encountered with this remake of the quays. Along a stretch of more than 7 kilometers, the Scheldt quays in Antwerp are undergoing a thorough makeover. While De Vlaamse Waterweg nv focuses on water safety, the city of Antwerp is turning the quays into an inviting waterside location.

Flood protection, including stabilization and restoration of unstable, centuries-old quay wall
As early as 1883, engineers noticed that parts of the quay wall were subsiding towards the Scheldt. This precarious balance was caused by the Boom clay beneath the wall’s foundation and the pressure of the groundwater. Over the past 130 years, engineers have developed various solutions, all of which proved inadequate. De Vlaamse Waterweg nv worked on a permanent solution to the unstable quay wall as part of the SigmaPlan.

The Scheldt quays always flood during heavy storm surges. Antwerp is very prone to flooding due to its location on the Scheldt. In the wake of the Gale of January 1976, a water barrier was built: a concrete wall 5.5 kilometers long and 1.35 meters high. Climate change and sea level rises have made it necessary to raise that water barrier by 90 centimeters. This will be done once the quay wall has been stabilized. The primary function of the water barrier is flood protection, but it obviously also affects the aesthetics of the quays. We are therefore combining these works as much as possible with the redevelopment of the quay plain.

Workshop Port Of Antwerp-Bruges: Navigating Tomorrow: Stakeholder engagement for a sustainable port future

This workshop features three dynamic roundtable discussions, each tackling the themes below. You are invited for a thought-provoking exchange at the crossroads of regulation, sustainability, and collaboration—where collective action shapes a resilient and environmentally responsible port system.

The Port of Antwerp stands as a powerhouse of international trade and regional development. However, safeguarding its future demands a unified effort from all stakeholders. Together with port users, NGOs, and governmental institutions, we are driving forward sustainable strategies to minimize environmental impact and boost climate resilience.

This workshop will deliver insights into the legal complexities of the Scheldt riverbanks, the Antwerp port’s water strategy, and real-world case studies of nature projects—both triumphant and challenged—along the banks of the Scheldt.

Key focus area’s:

Integrating Port development with ecological conservation– A deep dive into our achievements along the Scheldt, highlighting completed and ongoing projects that thrived and those that faced legal or technical hurdles.

Legal framework of the Scheldt Riverbanks – An interactive high-level discussion about Environmental legislation along the Scheldt.

Water strategy in the Antwerp Port area – With clear ambitions for water quality and quantity, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges is implementing decisive measures to achieve sustainable water use while protecting vital aquatic ecosystems.

Wednesday afternoon: Field trip to Kruibeke (included in participation fee)

This excursion leads us to the ‘Polders van Kruibeke’, the largest flood control area of the Sigmaplan, a plan to protect Flanders from flooding, but at the same time restore (tidal) nature and the delivery of related ecosystem services. On site we will receive information from various speakers on planning, design and construction. Also monitoring results on e.g. hydro- and morphodynamics, water quality and biota will be explained. The excursion will end with a dinner in Kruibeke. Dinner and transport to the site are included in the conference fee.

Thursday evening: optional cultural excursion KMSKA

An evening tour in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp (KMSKA). The museum is home to art from the 15th to the 20th century and includes paintings by world famous Belgian artists such as Peter Paul Rubens, James Ensor, Henry van de Velde, René Magritte, and Rik Wouters amongst other international artists. The guided tour will highlight art works linked to estuaries & coasts.

Friday optional excursions (prices included in participation fee)

1. Excursion Freshwater estuary (Sponsored by IMDC)

The Schelde still has a full tidal gradient from salt over brackish to freshwater marshes. In the Schelde and its tidal tributaries more than 100 km of tidal freshwater estuary can be found, with a tidal range going up to 6 m, creating a risk for floodings. In the past century, tidal nature dramatically declined due to habitat loss and poor water quality. The Sigmaplan aims for a healthy, sustainable estuary, focusing at both safety and nature restoration. It uses a ‘building with nature approach’, using techniques such as managed realignment, flood control areas and the novel technique of controlled reduced tide. In this excursion you will visit several restoration sites that demonstrate these restoration measures.

2. Excursion Brackish estuary (Sponsored by Jan De Nul & DEME)

In the brackish part of the Schelde estuary, the largest tidal marshes can be found. You will visit the 3500 ha marsh ‘Verdronken land van Saeftinge’ and the adjacent ‘Hedwige-Prosperpolder’. The latter is a 450 ha managed realignment site, created in 2021, and intensively monitored nowadays. A bit more upstream, in the harbor area, only small fringing marshes are left. These marshes are often subjected to severe lateral erosion due to the high hydrodynamics they are exposed to. The Bankbusters research project aims to restore such an eroding bank and create a functional marsh providing several ecosystem services. In this excursion you will visit all of these locations.

3. Canceled – Excursion saltwater estuary (Sponsored by Flanders Hydraulics)

This excursion leads you the saltwater part of the estuary, where some restoration sites will be visited. Near the mouth of the Schelde at the North Sea coast, you can find the 330 ha Zwin intertidal area. Flanders and the Netherlands joined forces to expand the site by 120 hectares between 2016 and 2019. The project had two major objectives: to provide a more sustainable solution for the silting up of the Zwin gully and to expand the surface area of tidal nature. The expansion has decreased the risk of flooding from the sea for the hinterland.