ECSA 59
Using the best scientific knowledge for the sustainable management of estuaries and coastal seas

Welcome to ECSA’s next major symposium, ECSA 59: Using the best scientific knowledge for the sustainable management of estuaries and coastal seas, which will take place from 5-8 September 2022 in the Kursaal Congress Centre, San Sebastian, Spain.

ECSA 59 will bring together a global multi-disciplinary community of researchers, educators and practitioners to address issues of outstanding importance in the science (both natural and social) and management of estuaries and coastal seas in this rapidly changing world.

Estuaries and coastal seas are facing multiple pressures coming from human activities, which result in habitats and biodiversity loss, introduction of invasive species, input of different types of pollutants (i.e., organic compounds, pharmaceuticals, microplastics, noise, light, etc.), overexploitation of resources and impairment of the marine health status. This is turn compromises the capacity of delivering ecosystem services and human benefits.

On top of these effects, global change is dramatically modifying the structure and functioning of marine systems. To reverse this situation, implementation of management measures, rooted in the best scientific knowledge possible, are needed.

Identifying such measures requires long-term monitoring based on the ecosystem-based approach. This should be done through international collaboration (e.g., within the UN Decade of the Oceans, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, etc.), with the participation of multidisciplinary teams, using novel monitoring, analysis and assessment tools, including multiple origin data sources, and going towards open science.

This can help to manage the activities that we are doing at estuaries and coastal seas, and consequently, contribute to achieving sustainable seas and marine resources.

We are still accepting poster abstracts on the following topics. Please submit using the online abstract submission system.

Conference Topics

Changing physical settings and processes

• Coastal morphodynamics affected by engineering structures and sea-level rise
• From measuring to modelling hydro- and sediment dynamics
• Impact of extreme events on coastal systems
• Monitoring with coastal ocean observing systems

Biogeochemical processes and fluxes at the land – sea interface

• Biogeochemical processes and fluxes at the land – sea interface
• From catchment to coast: effects of land use change and hydrological regulations
• Carbon and nitrogen cycling in benthic and pelagic ecosystems
• Impact of ocean acidification on coastal systems
• Blue carbon: assessing the role and carbon storage potential of coastal wetlands, seaweeds and seagrasses

Shifting ecosystem structures and functions

• The effects of restoration on biodiversity and ecosystem services
• Role of functional and response diversity to changes for ecosystem resilience
• Linkages between estuaries, mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs
• Stress responses and resilience: from molecular to ecosystem level

The human dimension: impact, management, governance

• Resource use patterns and management and implications for the environment
• Participatory management approaches in coastal zone management
• Decision support tools and approaches for sustainable marine and coastal spatial planning
• Assessing marine ecosystem services
• Governing the commons: institutions for the Marine Governance
• Science communication, citizen science and ocean literacy

Special Sessions

Changing physical settings and processes

• 0013 Adaptation of estuaries to climate change
• 0020 Living Labs: Space for Experiments on Sustainable Coastal Adaptation
• 0028 Coastal and estuarine geomorphic evolution and ecosystem sustainability

Biogeochemical processes and fluxes at the land – sea interface

• 0015 The Adriatic Sea as a laboratory for quantifying environmental changes in the anthropocene
• 0016 Environmental impact of pollution on riverine, estuarine and coastal areas in Southeast Asia
• 0033 Potential Roles of Passive Sampling in Investigative and Regulatory Monitoring

Shifting ecosystem structures and functions

• 0008 Nature- and ecosystem-based approaches for sustainable and resilient coasts and estuaries: managing sea level rise and climate change hazards
• 0009 Pelagos and benthos as a unicum: advancements towards a sustainable management of impacted coastal areas
• 0017 What parameters drive best for future shorelines shelter?
• 0025 Ecosystem based management: New inputs from basic research and holistic approaches
• 0029 Cascading effects of ecosystem engineer restoration on community composition
  

The human dimension: impact, management, governance

• 0002 Promoting sustainable aquaculture in estuaries and shallow coastal areas
• 0003 Transboundary and connectivity aspects of marine management: towards regional integrative research
• 0005 Restorative aquaculture as nature-based management tool
• 0007 Coastal change and land-sea social ecological system governance
• 0010 Sustainable fishing and management of bycatch and invasive species: the blue crab
• 0014 Setting quality targets for biota and their supporting elements: approaches to meet the challenges across national and international policies
• 0018 Sustainable management of estuaries and coasts for human well-being: learning experiences for promoting best practices
• 0019 Unraveling climate change- biodiversity-ecosystem services nexus in marine coastal environments
• 0022 Bridging the science-policy interface through Ocean Accounts – a data foundation for knowledge and decision making for ocean sustainable development
• 0023 Seeking sustainable tourism along tropical coasts
• 0024 Best practices for nature-based solutions (NbS) on estuarine and coastal realms: revealing the past, shaping the future
• 0026 Species distribution models in a changing climate: methods and applications
• 0027 Ocean Literacy research to support estuaries and coastal seas management
• 0030 Evaluation of marine governance as a fundamental component in socio-ecological systems
• 0031 Using existing knowledge to adaptively manage estuaries for the long-term future
• 0033 Potential Roles of Passive Sampling in Investigative and Regulatory Monitoring
• 0036 Enhancing the protection and conservation of critical coastal and marine habitats in the Western Indian Ocean states through science-based decision-making
• 0060 How does designation of heritage sites contribute to sustainable management of coastal systems?

Workshops

Changing physical settings and processes

• 0004 Coastal restoration with a focus on delivering ecosystem services (estuarine and deltaic systems) in times of climate change

Shifting ecosystem structures and functions

• 0017 What parameters drive best for future shorelines shelter?