Coastal and River Basin Management

Nature-based solutions, ecosystem functioning, estuaries, (eco)toxicology, economics, ecosystem services, drought/flood risk management.

Research groups

• Ecosphere 

• Centre for Urban History 

• Global Change Ecology 

• ​GeoBiology​

Key experts​​

• ​Lieven Bervoets​​
• ​Ronny Blust​
• ​Gudrun De Boeck​
• ​Patrick Meire​
• ​Jonas Schoelynck​​
• ​Tim Soens​
• ​Jan Staes
• ​​Eric Struyf​
  
• ​Stijn Temmerman​
• ​Edwin Van Hassel​
• ​Goedele Verreydt​

​Selected projects

• ProWater: 'protecting and restoring raw water sources through actions at the landscape scale', and contributes to climate adaptation by restoring the water storage of the landscape via 'ecosystem-based adaptation measures'. Developed the ‘water system maps’ approach  

• TURQUOISE: Blue-Green Strategies for climate change adaptation. The project prepares Flanders better for water scarcity and droughts. It is researched how nature-based solutions in agricultural land can proactively increase water availability. 

• Bankbusters: Design of novel measures for developing coastal marsh restoration under high dynamic estuarine circumstances.

• MONEOS Scheldemonitor: an integrated monitoring program for the Scheldt Estuary. This program includes 3 types of monitoring: system, research and project monitoring. 

• Mesodrome: A research facility to study estuarine and river ecosystem services at the meso-lab scale. The Mesodrome is the largest aquatic mesocosm facility in Belgium, and is part of the ESFRI infrastructure AnaEE. 

• Water systems maps: Spatial maps that classify the hydrological functioning of a landscape. Shown are e.g. key recharge zones, landscape depressions, seepage areas, moorlands, frequently inundated areas. The maps can be used as a planning tool for nature-based solutions that aim at enhancing water infiltration. 

• IFlux: A spinoff company that monitors groundwater fluxes. A method is used that simultaneously monitors the speed and direction of a contaminant in groundwater. 

• ​Coastal Carbon: Aims to advance research on natural sources of ocean alkalinity and investigate options to enhance ocean CO₂ uptake and storage​

• River ecosystem impact of the invasive Chinese mitten crab; Chinese mitten crabs are an invasive species that is claimed to clear-cut aquatic vegetation and thus have a devasting impact on the river ecosystem. In the mesodrome lab facility, the impact of Chinese mitten crabs on water plants is researched.

• From exposure to effects of pollutants: a dynamic mechanistic basis: this project has the ambition to go beyond current empirical ecotoxicological models to establish mechanistic knowledge of the underlying processes in the chain from exposure to effects of pollutants. 

• Sampling and analysis of micropollutants in Biota from aquatic systems in Flanders: Studies the bioaccumulation of priority substances in fish, in particular perch (Perca fluviatilis) and European eel (Anguilla anguilla). Priority substances are defined in EU law as micropollutants that are toxic, persistent and likely to bio-accumulate. 

• ADMIRE: investigates project how the importance of peat in the Flanders-Netherlands border region can be revalued in light of its ecosystem services and improve the condition of these important peatlands in the region. 

• Flemish Hydrogen Ports Valley (FlHyPorts): The FLHyPorts project is a small-scale Hydrogen Valley initiative that connects hydrogen production, distribution, and multi-sector end-use across the Flemish port ecosystems in Belgium. FLHyPorts will demonstrate an integrated, cross-border, and scalable hydrogen value chain. The project aims to decarbonise logistics, port operations, inland shipping, industrial processes, and mobility through cost-effective green hydrogen, while providing flexibility services to both the electricity and natural gas grids.

• Integrating Smart Inland Waterways for Sustainable Multimodal Logistics: The seamless integration of inland waterway transport in multimodal supply chains requires the physical and digital connection to other land transport modes and maritime transport. The project will focus on the integration of smart vessels, smart infrastructure, smart data and smart governance in multimodal logistics chains.

• Platform for the Implementation of the Navigation Action programme for Action (Platina4action): The PLATINA4Action project aims to accelerate the implementation of green and connected inland waterway transport.

• Climate resilient and environmentally sustainable transport infrastructure, with a focus on inland waterways (CRISTAL): It is the key objective of the project CRISTAL to increase the share of freight transport on inland water transport (IWT) by a minimum of 20% and to demonstrate on its three pilot sites (Italy, Poland and France) strategies to improve reliability by 80%.

• Portable Innovation Open Network for Efficiency and Emissions Reduction Solutions (PIONEERS): PIONEERS brings together four ports with different characteristics, but shared commitments towards meeting the Green Deal goals and Blue Growth socio-economic aims, in order to address the challenge for European ports of reducing GHG emissions while remaining competitive. In order to achieve these ambitions, the Ports of Antwerp, Barcelona, Venlo and Constanta will implement green port innovation demonstrations across four main pillars: clean energy production and supply, sustainable port design, modal shift and flows optimization, and digital transformation.

• Novel inland waterway transport concepts for moving freight effectively (NOVIMOVE): NOVIMOVE strategy is to "condense" the logistics system by improving container load factors and by reducing waiting times in seaports, by improved river voyage planning and execution, and by facilitating smooth passages through bridges and locks.

• SmartWaterway: By making waterway transport more cost-efficient, Smart Waterway will enable a modal shift for last mile urban logistics from the road to the small waterways in many European cities, including a city as Ghent.

• Novel iwt and maritime transport concepts (NOVIMAR): NOVIMAR aims to adjust inland/short-sea shipping such that it can make optimal use of the waterborne system of waterways, vessels and ports/terminals. To achieve this NOVIMAR introduces the waterborne version of 'platooning', the Vessel Train.