The draft of the (first) “Flemish Sediment Management Concept 2022-2027” is now available for public consultation until the 14^th of March 2021. It is a “background document” to (the draft of) the Flemish River Basin Management Plan 2022-2027. Part of the text of the Sediment Management Concept is integrated in the River Basin Management Plan.

The document is in Dutch, with a summary in English. The English summary can be found as “chapter 0” on pages 13 till 19. For those who wish to read the whole document in English we advise to use Google translate. Remarks or suggestions for improvement are welcome and can be mailed to: Edward Van Keer – edward.vankeer@mow.vlaanderen.be

After the public consultation the draft will be revised based on the remarks MOW will have received. The River Basin Management Plan (and background documents) should be approved by the end of 2021.

Click here for the October 2020 edition of the SedNet eNewsletter.

The 12th International SedNet Conference will take place from 29 June – 3 July 2021, in Lille, France. Title: “Sediment Challenges and Opportunities due to Climate Change and Sustainable Development”

A Call for Abstracts is open until 1 December 2020. See the conference webpage for further info.

On 10-11 February 2021 a  workshop on Sediment management opportunities to address the climate change challenge will be held, hosted by ISPRA in Rome.
The workshop is organised by the Navigating a Changing Climate partners with the collaboration of SedNet. The event will cover topics such as nature-based solutions, Working with Nature and natural resilience; beneficial use of dredged material in the application of the waste hierarchy; habitat enhancement for improved ecosystem services; and carbon sequestration and management. Speakers will comprise a mix of invited experts and a call for presentations, the latter is now open for submissions – deadline 31 October 2020. Please use this format for abstracts.

EurAqua (the European Network of Freshwater Research Organisations) organizes on Thursday 11 June 2020, 10.00 – 12.30 CEST within the context of the Green Deal a webinar with the focus on nature-based solutions to increase climate resilience to hydrological extremes and to protect, conserve and enhance EU’s natural capital. This webinar will provide an overview of latest insights on the water challenges and the potential contribution of nature-based solutions to the Green Deal. The webinar will also address the research and innovation challenges and demonstration cases and living labs. See the programme of the webinar.

To register go to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8118610648245874444

The Special Issue of the Journal of Soils and Sediments about the SedNet conference held last year in Dubrovnik (“Sediment as a dynamic natural resource—from catchment to open sea“) has been recently concluded. It will be published in June-July 2020, but all papers are already accessible on-line. Here is a link to the Preface.

Due to COVID-19 the 4th meeting of the SedNet Working Group ‘Sediments in Circular Economy’  will NOT be held in Glasgow, but instead be organised online in two sessions:

– 15 April – from 9 to 12 hrs Glasgow time (10 to 13 hrs for most others):
* PFAS and
* mass stabilization

– 16 April – 9 to 12 hrs Glasgow time (10 to 13 for most others):
* upcoming example projects

See for the original meeting info the webpage.

Please inform the SedNet Secretariat if you wish to join the online meeting(s).

On 19 and 20 November 2020, the Navigating a Changing Climate partners will organise a two-day conference as part of the 10th International Conference on Coastal and Port Engineering in Developing Countries (COPEDEC) to be held in The Philippines, hosted by The Philippine Ports Authority.

The Navigating a Changing Climate initiative’s Action Plan recognises the important role of sediment in many places:

• Mitigation, notably Blue Carbon – the role of sediments in the support and management of coastal habitats as important carbon sinks; carbon offsetting opportunities
• How dynamic natural systems, including sediments, might be affected by climate change with potential consequences and challenges for navigation efficiency and safety; related monitoring and adaptive management responses
• Adaptation and resilience – the role of sediments in sustaining, enhancing or creating habitats that capitalise on natural resilience or help strengthen resilience against the effects of climate change; Working with Nature

The SedNet community might therefore be interested in submitting abstracts against any of the following conference themes:

• Moving towards ‘net zero’ emissions of greenhouse gases from port infrastructure including the port estate
• Intermodality and system-level climate change resilience
• Monitoring and adaptive management for responding to change
• Climate change adaptation, including theory and practice, methodologies and case studies
• Optimising operational resilience, including the role of inspection and maintenance
• Flexible and adaptive infrastructure design; Nature-based solutions to improve navigation infrastructure resilience

See for details NaCC website. Deadline for submitting abstracts is 21 February 2020

The December-2019 edition of our eNewsletter is online now.

With reports on our activities related to the Water Framework Directive, updates on activities of SedNet Working Groups, first announcement about the 12th International SedNet Conference in 2021, etc.

12th International SedNet Conference, Lille (France), early 2021

“Sediment Challenges and Opportunities with Climate Change, and Sustainable Development Goals” 

co-organised by BRGM   

The conference topics will soon be announced on the conference-webpage.

Conference date will be announced early 2020. The Call for Abstracts will open in spring 2020.