Showcase category ➤ Star Scientists
Dr Ellis Penning
Deltares, Inland Water Systems
Expert Nature-based Solutions and Aquatic Ecology
Scientists & Researchers
My Projects
SpongeScapes
Room for the River
EcoShape
- What impact did these projects have on biodiversity, if any?
The biodiversity generally improved when using Nature-based Solutions.
- What work challenges did you face and what approach did you take to solve them?
Trying to assess and design appropriate Nature-based Solutions.
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As long-term prediction is getting more complex with time, we not only have to look at flood prevention but also at low water aspects. The concept of NbS can also be transferred to another context.
- What is your biggest barrier and what are you trying to do about it?
Implementing large scale solutions always takes time as many factors must be considered. Also, oftentimes there is a conflict of interest in restoration work – society can have different goals which are not always working together (hydropower vs. fish ecology). Technical solutions are only a part of the equation – people-oriented solutions, like capacity building or institutional embedding also play a major role (so called “enabling environment”).
My Focus and Approach
- Lessons Learnt - Some recommendations for others?
- What’s most important:
Evaluate the impact of a project on multiple goals.
- Do this, not that:
Select multidisciplinary teams when working on projects that deal with interventions in the landscape.
- Always start by:
Identifying how the landscape would be functioning its natural state, and take that as the starting point.
- What to do when things get difficult…:
Just keep breathing, give it (an idea/project/team) time to develop
- 5 simple steps to:
Seeking partnerships can be helpful to get to the desired results.
- The biggest barrier and what I am trying to do about it:
It’s not always easy to talk about biodiversity with people who do not have a background in it, simply also because this is not their top-priority. For instance, big engineering projects may overlook the impact they have on biodiversity, just because there’s no ecologist on the team from the start. At Deltares we’re now organizing courses to explain biodiversity in simple terms to those who don’t have a background in it, and discuss how they can include biodiversity in projects that might miss opportunities when biodiversity is not included from the early phases of defining the project.
- What’s most important:
My Journey
- My journey:
I have always been fascinated by nature, from early on. Tiny insects crawling through the garden, or those swimming in the local ponds and canals. This led to a choice for studying Biology at Wageningen University, with a specialism in Ecosystem functioning. Travelling for my MSc. Thesis to both Canada and New Zealand really showed the width and breath of different types of ecosystems. Understanding how they function, and how they are impacted by human influences has been a significant driver for where I am now.
- My Education:
- Biology, Wageningen University (MSc)
- PhD thesis: Role of Eco-Hydraulics in Large Shallow Lakes: implications for management. Dpt. Of Civil Engineering, Technical University Delft (PhD)
- The Big Change:
Emphasising that we need to achieve multiple goals in the same location is key: evaluate measures for floods AND droughts AND biodiversity, and even go further in adding also the socio-economic assessment in this research is essential.
- Favourite part of the work I do:
It requires multidisciplinary teams to implement Nature-based Solutions, and bringing them together is what I enjoy doing most.
Brief Overview
Interview
Key Topics:
Key Topics
These relate to specific topics (e.g. technical solutions; restoration activities etc.) addressed within the showcase materials.
- Nature-based Solutions
Prone2Success Factors Demonstrated:
Prone2Success Factors Demonstrated
These are the Prone2Success checklist factors which are highlighted within this showcase. More information on the Prone2Success checklist can be found here.
- Measurable goals to improve ecological status
- Measurable goals to improve ecosystem services
- Supports WFD, NRL and other restoration policy goals
- Communicate/engage with stakeholders from the outset
- Engage with the local community from the outset
- Obtain sufficient finance for all project stages
- Restoration works (design) are self-sustaining
- Local planning processes are transparent / clearly understood
- Include long term monitoring
- Include adaptive management approaches (combined with monitoring)
- Ensure stakeholder understanding / education of restoration goals & benefits
- Demonstrate specific ecological improvements/legal compliance / communicating results during and after the project
- Take climate change into account
NRL Restoration Categories:
NRL Restoration Categories
These are the restoration categories (listed under Annex VII of the European Nature Restoration Law (NRL) which are relevant to this showcase.
- [2] Improve hydrological conditions
- [5] Re-establish river meandering
- [6] Remove obsolete barriers
- [7] Re-naturalise river beds
- [8] Restore natural sedimentation
- [9] Establish riparian buffers
- [22] Improve connectivity across habitats
- [32] Reduce pollution (chemicals, urban/industrial wastewater, litter, plastics)
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Resources
Bachmann et al 2000. – a clear story on how understanding hydrodynamics is important if you want to understand shallow lakes ecology in larger shallow lakes.
Co-creation techniques can really improve conversations, even short technical ones. Better understanding how to hold and facilitate conversations is helpful for anyone, regardless of their background.
Acknowledgements & Links
This material was provided by: Ellis Penning
For more information: www.deltares.nl