News
SedNet announces the dates for its next conference: 6-9 April at Thetis
The conference’s title will be “Sediments and Biodiversity: bridging the gap between science and policy”.
This title highlights sediment’s crucial importance for ecosystem biodiversity and draws attention to the need to develop and adopt appropriate management strategies and solutions that emphasize the systemic aspects of interventions. The conference is divided into two parts. The first part will feature Special Sessions (open to the public, with a set list of speakers), in which different themes and topics will be addressed and discussed. The second part is a more traditional conference open to speakers who submit abstracts.
The topics for the 4 Special Sessions are:
- Sustainable dredging of Mediterranean ports: the future of sediment management;
- Sediments and climate change;
- Evaluation criteria for dredged materials: the current situation and future prospects;
-The importance of sediments for biodiversity.
The first session, organized by ISPRA and Thetis S.p.A., will focus on the management of dredged sediment in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner – an issue that is particularly important for Italian ports. Representatives from numerous national and international authorities, governments, agencies and organizations are expected to participate, including several port authorities. The session will end with a round table discussion.
In the second session, on sediments and climate change, short talks by invited speakers and work groups focussing on various aspects of the topic will explore how climate change may influence sediment mobility and transport and the bioavailability and toxicity of contaminants associated with sediments.
The session on evaluation criteria for dredged materials, promoted by the multi-lateral forum DGEplus, will further develop the topics broached in the session on Mediterranean ports. The session will focus on technical and scientific aspects that have proven to be important in making management decisions, based on the experiences and current management practices of principal European countries.
The session on sediments and biodiversity is expected to spark debate on the conference’s main topic. There will be several invited speakers, as well as a discussion and review.
Based on the registration requests received thus far, the turnout is expected to be high with numerous experts in attendance, including representatives from every continent.
There will also be a small, informal exhibition where representatives from various bodies (ports, governments, agencies, corporations, consultants) can meet and exchange ideas.
