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.
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PROGRAMME |
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Monday |
Registration desk open |
09:00 – 12:00 |
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Opening session |
13:00 – 17:00 |
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Symposium
dinner (optional) (€ 60,-) |
18:30 – … |
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Tuesday |
Morning sessions |
09:00 – 11:45 |
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poster pitch talks |
11:45 – 12:30 |
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Afternoon sessions |
13:30 – 15:30 |
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Visit Schelde quays + SIGMAplan introduction (included in participation fee) –
Visit to the new Schelde Quays. |
15:30 – 17:00 |
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Wednesday |
Morning sessions |
09:00 – 12:30 |
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Excursion SIGMAplan
areas KBR (included in participation fee) –
Visit to the ‘Polders van Kruibeke’, the largest flood control area of the SIGMAplan |
13:30 – 17:00 |
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BBQ near the KBR area |
17:00 – … |
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Thursday |
Morning sessions |
09:00 – 11:45 |
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poster pitch talks |
11:45 – 12:30 |
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Afternoon sessions |
13:30 – 15:15 |
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Closing |
15:15 – 16:00 |
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Reception |
16:00 – 17:30 |
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Cultural excursion KMSKA
(optional) –
An evening tour in the Royal Museum
of Fine Arts in Antwerp. (€ 30,-) |
19:30 – … |
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Friday |
Optional
excursions (lunch + transport by bus included) |
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1 Hamme, Schellebelle
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Visit to the freshwater part of the
estuary. |
09:00 – 17:00 |
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2
Beveren, Doel, HPP en Saeftinghe –
Visit to the brackish part of the
estuary. |
09:00 – 17:00 |
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3 Zwin,
Zoute, Damme –
Visit to the saltwater part of the
estuary. |
09:00 – 17:00 |
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Tuesday afternoon: Walk to the Antwerp quays (included in participation fee)
The historic Antwerp quays were no longer safe and future proof against storm surges. Over a length of more than 7 kilometers, the Scheldt quays are being converted: stabilizing the quay wall, raising the water barrier and giving the public domain a real makeover. We will get on site information on these major works.
Wednesday afternoon: Field trip to Kruibeke
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 include transport by bus and a lunch box)
1. Excursion Freshwater estuary
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
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. Excursion saltwater estuary
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.