Showcase category ➤ Recreating Freshwater Ecosystems
Carlos Alexandre
Dr. (Assistant Researcher, PhD) at MARE-Marine and Environmental Science Centre/University of Évora
My Projects
LIFE Águeda - Conservation and Management Actions for Migratory Fish in the Vouga River Basin (LIFE16 ENV/PT/000411)
HABITAT RESTORATION FOR DIADROMOUS FISH IN RIVER MONDEGO, PORTUGAL
- Key project facts
This project’s main objective is the elimination of hydro-morphological pressures identified in the project area (or, when not completely possible, their substantial mitigation), towards the reestablishment of conditions of a good ecological status, as required by the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the applicable River Basin Management Plan. - What impact did these projects have on biodiversity, if any?
This project is representative of other we have developed with the aim to restore habitat and longitudinal connectivity for migratory fish, in Portugal. They are focused on diadromous fish species, providing access to a significant amount of new spawning habitat for these species, enhancing their populations. This is mostly done through the removal of obsolete barriers and construction of fish transposition devices in hydraulic infrastructures that are still of use. These actions, in related projects, are always complemented by other tasks, such as pre- and post-monitoring, dissemination and communication actions, as well as tasks promoting the development of complementary management regulations and strategies. - What work challenges did you face and what approach did you take to solve them?
Working in a valley with so high human density is challenging, and there are many constraints on technical issues such as how can machines access the river or how to ensure that dam removal will not unstabilise river banks. The Gipuzkoa Province Council, the implementation partner of the project, has a highly skilled staff to address these issues. Regarding our part of the project, which is mainly the monitoring of ecological effects of dam removal, the river is often complex to access, the fact that dams form a string along the main stem makes it complex to disentangle the effects of each removal. This is even more complex in a basin with so many human actions, where multiple stressors make it challenging to measure and to interpret any change. - What lessons learned are transferable to other places/projects?
The most technical issues were addressed by the Province Council and, thus, I cannot comment on them. But the main two main lessons we learned are that adjustments of physical habitat after dam removal are extremely fast and safe, and that often the main problem is the societal perception of the river, its problems and potential solutions. - What is your biggest barrier and what are you trying to do about it?
When restoring longitudinal connectivity for migratory fish, the general perspective is clear: obsolete barriers should be removed and functional barriers should be adapted through the construction of fish transposition devices, with specific characteristics to be defined according to site and target fish species. But, at some point, we were faced with the need to develop solutions to barriers that have a specific function during one period of the year but do not need to be in place during the remaining part of the year. To solve this barrier to an effective decision process in these restoration projects, we developed an innovative solution, consisting of replacing this permanent barrier, by temporary modular structures, which include a temporary and modular fish transposition devices, that are built in the selected site during the time of the year they are truly needed, being removed when its function stops. This approach represents a very good solution to combine successful habitat restoration with human needs related with the sustainable exploitation of aquatic ecosystems.
My Focus and Approach
- Lessons Learnt - Some recommendations for others?
- What’s most important:
- Define suitable restoration priorities, targets and objectives;
- Apply adequate monitoring approaches involving pre and post-intervention assessments and specific indicators, to have a rigorous quantification of the restoration success;
- Involve al interested stakeholders, since the beginning of the planned work, that will for sure facilitate implementations of the foreseen actions;
- Disseminate your work and your results, to foster understanding and future replication.
- Do this, not that:
Have objective restoration goals that are feasible to achieve, to monitor and to report. Don't aim to restore everything at the same time, most likely you will not have the time and the funding to do it and success will be reduced. - Always start by:
Defining priorities, setting objectives and involving stakeholders. - What to do when things get difficult…:
Do not be afraid to redefine priorities and objectives. The worst thing to do is to insist on wrong paths. Learn from least successful cases. - 5 simple steps to:
- Define priorities and set restoration objectives;
- Contact local stakeholders;
- Define and implement suitable monitoring programs;
- Implement restoration actions;
- Disseminate your successes and insucesses (everyone learns from both cases) and foster replication of the first ones.
- The biggest barrier and what I am trying to do about it:
Biggest barrier to successful restoration actions is public perception and acceptance. You can have the money to do it, the means to implement and to monitor it, but if you do not engage local audiences and stakeholders, your efforts will most likely result in failure or in short-success stories with no sustainability. That is why one of the things I value the most is to involve and engage the public and stakeholders as soon as possible in restoration projects, through strong communication and dissemination actions.
- What’s most important:
My Journey
- My journey:
Since a young age, I was always interested in aquatic ecosystems, freshwater fish and angling. When growing up, studying biology was an obvious journey and when the time came to select the topic for my BSc thesis, the choice was obvious. From this first scientific work, more than 20-year have passed and, after 2 MSc and 1 PhD theses, several scholarships and temporary contracts within the academy, I have finally got a permanent position at the University of Évora as an Assistant Researcher, working on these thematic. - My Education:
- BSc in Biology (2006)
MSc in Conservation and Rehabilitation of Inner Water (2009)
MSc in Management and Conservation of Natural Resources (2016)
PhD in Biology (2014)
- BSc in Biology (2006)
- The Big Change:
The work of the team I am involved in helped to change the existent perspective in terms of habitat restoration for migratory fish, fostering the development of multiple partnerships at the national and international level towards common objectives, as well as changing the mentality on the effectiveness of these actions that were deemed as useless and nowadays seen as an important need for the protection of aquatic ecosystems and related goods and services. - Favourite part of the work I do:
Besides the more technical and scientific work, that is always a favourite, the other favourite part of the work we do in termos o habitat restoration is the link and communication with the different stakeholders and their multiple and diverse perspectives on the same subject and, sometimes, see a change of more conventional mentalities.
Interview
Key Topics:
Key Topics
These relate to specific topics (e.g. technical solutions; restoration activities etc.) addressed within the showcase materials.
- Fish Ecology
- Fish Migration
- Restoration of longitudinal connectivity
- Diadromous fish
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.
- Assist migration of provenances and species
- Improve connectivity across habitats
- Restore fish spawning / nursery areas
Universidade de Évora
MAREAcknowledgements & Links
This material was provided by:
Carlos M. Alexandre; Fish Biology, Conservation and Management Lab; MARE – Marine and Environmental Science Centre; University of Évora