This well-documented book analyzes the possibilities and constraints of regulatory cooperation between the EU and the US (particularly California) with a specific focus on environmental protection, food safety and agriculture, biosafety... more
This well-documented book analyzes the possibilities and constraints of regulatory cooperation between the EU and the US (particularly California) with a specific focus on environmental protection, food safety and agriculture, biosafety and biodiversity.
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Research Interests:
Research Interests:
We trace the relationship between cities and rivers throughout history, following the evolving riverfront through the succession of shifting attitudes towards the river. From the early river-as-god, provider and destroyer, onto the... more
We trace the relationship between cities and rivers throughout history, following the evolving riverfront through the succession of shifting attitudes towards the river. From the early river-as-god, provider and destroyer, onto the harnessing of the river for economy and protection, through cycles of detruction and neglect, we analyse the shifts in uses, scale and structure of the waterfronts leading up to what we consider to be an era of opportunity, marked by a renewed awareness of the river's importance as a natural ecosystem corridor and as a major component of any riverine city's green structure.
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Desert environments are subject to flash floods in wadi floors, which may occur only once every decade or two in a given wadi (dry channels or valleys, except during rains). In areas of rapid growth, flood-prone areas can become urbanized... more
Desert environments are subject to flash floods in wadi floors, which may occur only once every decade or two in a given wadi (dry channels or valleys, except during rains). In areas of rapid growth, flood-prone areas can become urbanized in the time between floods. Being flat and constituted of sandy sediments, unlike the surrounding terrain, wadi floors are often used for construction, exposing the new settlements to flood risks. We present a case study of the town of El-Sheikh El-Shazli, in the Eastern Desert of Egypt, which has undergone increasingly rapid development over the past two decades. The town is named for an important 13th-century Sufi leader whose shrine receives thousands of visitors annually. We document the extent and effects of the last flash flood (1996) from interviews, field measurement of flood debris, and patterns in satellite imagery; these show the extent of new development in flood-prone wadi floors and the potential risks to residents and visitors in the...
Research Interests:
Eco-tourism is a growing part of the tourism industry. However, there are no agreed-upon criteria of what constitutes eco-tourism, so the industry is currently self-identified, with eco-lodges simply declaring themselves so. Here we... more
Eco-tourism is a growing part of the tourism industry. However, there are no agreed-upon criteria of what constitutes eco-tourism, so the industry is currently self-identified, with eco-lodges simply declaring themselves so. Here we present the first systematic comparison of eco-tourism versus conventional (or mass) tourism, using as our study area a set of 37 resorts along the southern Red Sea coast of Egypt, all constructed on similarly oriented parcels between the sea and the Red Sea Mountain Range. We compared resorts based on their water, energy, and waste management (all virtually equivalent), and based on mappable environmental parameters such as swimming pool surface area, distance from mangrove patches, conflict with flood plains, extent of lawn area, and means of access to deep water. We found that the self-identified eco-tourism establishments were not significantly different from the conventional tourism resorts in terms of their stress on environmental resources. We rec...
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Urban riverfront interventions are ubiquitous throughout the developed world, and increasingly also in the Global South. Many have failed spectacularly. We conducted a systematic review of failed riverfront interventions to draw lessons... more
Urban riverfront interventions are ubiquitous throughout the developed world, and increasingly also in the Global South. Many have failed spectacularly. We conducted a systematic review of failed riverfront interventions to draw lessons that could improve future projects. Learning from past mistakes may be more important than observing successes, because successful elements in one city may not be repeatable elsewhere, as the context and opportunity could be specific to that one city. Recognizing what did not work elsewhere may provide clues needed to improve future projects. Our results show that poorly designed riverfront interventions typically fail on several levels: a bad program, with the wrong budget and timing, no concern for local needs or context, results in an unattractive and costly intervention, with reduced to no social or environmental benefit. To create more successful interventions in the future, we should acknowledge the local context, the morphology of the river va...
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Cairo is a congested city with high rate of urbanization and very limited public space. Cairo has one of the lowest rates of parkland per capita of any major city. Moreover, the banks of the Nile, formerly alive with activities such as... more
Cairo is a congested city with high rate of urbanization and very limited public space. Cairo has one of the lowest rates of parkland per capita of any major city. Moreover, the banks of the Nile, formerly alive with activities such as washing, fishing, and felucca landings, were by the end of the twentieth century largely cutoff from free public access by a wall of busy roads, private clubs, luxury hotels, restaurants, nurseries, and police/military stations, roads. The need for open space for people from lower income who could not afford the expensive options along the Nile banks, has resulted in use of the sidewalks of the main bridges as public spaces. Families, couples, and friends tolerate the noise and fumes of traffic to enjoy the expansive views and breezes over the Nile. As a result of this extraordinary re-purposing of the bridges, new small businesses have formed to cater to the uses, and a new interaction with the river has emerged. We studied the patterns of use, chara...
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Business, Climate Change Adaptation, Corporate Governance, Green Infrastructure, Environmental Policy and Governance, and 12 moreConflict Resolution, Environmental Planning, Environmental Sciences, Environmental Resource Management, Sea level rise, Wetland, Environmental science and policy, San Francisco Bay Area, Setback, Wetland Restoration, Metropolitan Area, and Bay
Research Interests: Geology, Environmental Law, Climate Change, Water, Environmental History, and 15 moreLegal History, Environmental Management, Vulnerability, Multidisciplinary, Holocene sea level change, Sea level rise, Estuaries, San Francisco, Land Reclamation, San Francisco History, Estuary, San Francisco Bay, Shore, Tagus Estuary, and Bay
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Background/Question/Methods The southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) is a generalist insectivore that visits the Southwest USA during the summer for nesting. This small bird is a species of concern in the American... more
Background/Question/Methods The southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) is a generalist insectivore that visits the Southwest USA during the summer for nesting. This small bird is a species of concern in the American southwest, and was listed as endangered in 1995. The flycatcher has been one of the main species of concern in restoration programs such as that of the lower Colorado River Multi Species Conservation Program, which has been establishing willow-cottonwood plantations to provide native habitat for threatened and endangered species. Because of flow regulation, channel incision, and levees, these floodplain plantations are disconnected from the river and plantings are sustained through irrigation. Nesting flycatchers have not been found in the restoration sites. We tested if these constructed riparian habitats had a similar insect community as river-formed reference riparian habitats where the flycatcher does nest. We implemented sticky trap sampling ove...
people from former Portuguese colonies in Africa and from rural areas of the country in pursuit of higher living standards. Much of this population growth was accommodated clustered high-rise apartment blocks (many unpermitted) in the... more
people from former Portuguese colonies in Africa and from rural areas of the country in pursuit of higher living standards. Much of this population growth was accommodated clustered high-rise apartment blocks (many unpermitted) in the region west of Lisbon, in the municipalities Oeiras, Cascais, Sintra, and Amadora. These developments were largely unplanned, often did not provide for sewage treatment, and lack adequate mass transit or urban amenities such as parks and other open spaces. Moreover, because the main transport axes run east-west, it is difficult for residents of these apartment blocks to go the relatively short distance southward to the coast (e.g., only 10 km from Cacém to the coast). This region is drained by a set of subparallel streams (each draining about 20-50 km2), flowing roughly north-south through deeply incised valleys to debouch into the Atlantic between Lisbon and Cascais. With rapid urbanization peak runoff has increased, resulting from larger impervious s...
By trapping sediment in reservoirs, dams interrupt the continuity of sediment transport through rivers, resulting in loss of reservoir storage and reduced usable life, and depriving downstream reaches of sediments essential for channel... more
By trapping sediment in reservoirs, dams interrupt the continuity of sediment transport through rivers, resulting in loss of reservoir storage and reduced usable life, and depriving downstream reaches of sediments essential for channel form and aquatic habitats. With the acceleration of new dam construction globally, these impacts are increasingly widespread. There are proven techniques to pass sediment through or around reservoirs, to preserve reservoir capacity and to minimize downstream impacts, but they are not applied in many situations where they would be effective. This paper summarizes collective experience from five continents in managing reservoir sediments and mitigating downstream sediment starvation. Where geometry is favorable it is often possible to bypass sediment around the reservoir, which avoids reservoir sedimentation and supplies sediment to downstream reaches with rates and timing similar to pre‐dam conditions. Sluicing (or drawdown routing) permits sediment to...
Research Interests: Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Science, Geology, and 11 moreGE, Atmospheric sciences, Reservoir Sedimentation, Sediment transport, Sediment, Sediment Management, Sedimentation, Dam Removal, Sediment Transport, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT, and regulated rivers
This well-documented book analyzes the possibilities and constraints of regulatory cooperation between the EU and the US (particularly California) with a specific focus on environmental protection, food safety and agriculture, biosafety... more
This well-documented book analyzes the possibilities and constraints of regulatory cooperation between the EU and the US (particularly California) with a specific focus on environmental protection, food safety and agriculture, biosafety and biodiversity.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Previous reservoir sedimentation models have ignored two key factors for large spatial and temporal modeling of multiple reservoirs: trapping by upstream dams and decreasing sediment trapping as reservoirs fill. We developed a... more
Previous reservoir sedimentation models have ignored two key factors for large spatial and temporal modeling of multiple reservoirs: trapping by upstream dams and decreasing sediment trapping as reservoirs fill. We developed a spreadsheet‐based model that incorporates both factors. Using California as a case study, we used measured sedimentation rates to estimate sediment yields for distinct geomorphic regions and applied those rates to unmeasured reservoirs by region. Statewide reservoirs have likely filled with 2.1 billion m3 of sediment to date, decreasing total reservoir capacity by 4.5%. About 200 reservoirs have likely lost more than half their initial capacity to sedimentation.
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Research Interests:
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Research Interests:
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ABSTRACT Potential fish habitat along the Drôme River, France, is a function of the distribution of large woody debris, boulders, undercut banks, gravel substrate, and pools. The distribution of these features is, in turn, a function of... more
ABSTRACT Potential fish habitat along the Drôme River, France, is a function of the distribution of large woody debris, boulders, undercut banks, gravel substrate, and pools. The distribution of these features is, in turn, a function of channel geomorphology, watershed and riparian forest characteristics. We conducted field work and analysed aerial photographs for 190 elementary segments of 500 m length along the Drôme River's 95 km course from the Alps westward to its confluence with the Rhône River near Loriol. The Drôme River does not follow the classic pattern of a monotone downstream decrease in gradient and change in channel characteristics. Although channel gradient, braided index and channel incision all decrease downstream, stream power is independent of longitudinal distance. These variables are largely controlled by geomorphic, human or hydrologic factors at the reach scale. Potential fish habitat richness decreases downstream, but individual habitat variables affecting habitat richness do not necessarily decrease downstream, many being controlled by local factors rather than by position along the continuum. Large woody debris is more abundant in braided reaches located directly downstream of confluences with main tributaries or downstream input sites. Boulders are most abundant downstream of failed bank protection works or in gorges. To improve fish habitat in the Drôme River, we recommend taking a long-term and large-scale perspective. Because structures placed in this unstable channel are likely to be washed downstream, we propose to emulate natural river dynamics and to permit large woody debris to enter the channel in unstable reaches via bank erosion, and that this debris not be removed (as is routinely done now) but permitted to migrate downstream through the system, creating fish habitat en route.
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The riparian forests along braided rivers are dynamic, frequently rejuvenated by floods and channel changes, and thus dominated by pioneer to middle stages of succession; they are sites of high biodiversity in some regions. The Lower... more
The riparian forests along braided rivers are dynamic, frequently rejuvenated by floods and channel changes, and thus dominated by pioneer to middle stages of succession; they are sites of high biodiversity in some regions. The Lower Eygues River (drainage area 1150 km2 in southeastern France) is such a braided river system with large alluvial forests dominated by Salix alba, Populus alba,
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Strategic basin-scale planning of dam portfolios has been promoted as suitable approach to find sustainable trade-offs between hydropower production and dam environmental impacts, such as sediment trapping, on river ecosystem services.... more
Strategic basin-scale planning of dam portfolios has been promoted as suitable approach to find sustainable trade-offs between hydropower production and dam environmental impacts, such as sediment trapping, on river ecosystem services. With regard to sediment trapping, strategic planning is potentially impeded by the poor knowledge of sediment origins in many large rivers and the potentially dramatic future changes in land use and climate change and hence erosion rates and sediment yields. For the case study of the Mekong River Basin, we herein show how some broad estimates of sediment yields can be used for strategic planning that is robust with regard to poor knowledge of sediment origins in the basin and future change. We feed a network scale model for sediment routing and dam sediment trapping with a broad delineation of the basin in nine geomorphic zones with different sediment yields. We couple that framework to a Multi Objective Evolutionary algorithm and a formal sensitivity...
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Research Interests:
Desert environments are subject to flash floods in wadi floors, which may occur only once every decade or two in a given wadi (dry channels or valleys, except during rains). In areas of rapid growth, flood-prone areas can become urbanized... more
Desert environments are subject to flash floods in wadi floors, which may occur only once every decade or two in a given wadi (dry channels or valleys, except during rains). In areas of rapid growth, flood-prone areas can become urbanized in the time between floods. Being flat and constituted of sandy sediments, unlike the surrounding terrain, wadi floors are often used for construction, exposing the new settlements to flood risks. We present a case study of the town of El-Sheikh El-Shazli, in the Eastern Desert of Egypt, which has undergone increasingly rapid development over the past two decades. The town is named for an important 13th-century Sufi leader whose shrine receives thousands of visitors annually. We document the extent and effects of the last flash flood (1996) from interviews, field measurement of flood debris, and patterns in satellite imagery; these show the extent of new development in flood-prone wadi floors and the potential risks to residents and visitors in the...
Research Interests:
San Francisco Bay, the largest estuary on the Pacific Coast of North America, is heavily encroached by a metropolitan region with over 7 million inhabitants. Urban development and infrastructure, much of which built over landfill and at... more
San Francisco Bay, the largest estuary on the Pacific Coast of North America, is heavily encroached by a metropolitan region with over 7 million inhabitants. Urban development and infrastructure, much of which built over landfill and at the cost of former baylands, were placed at very low elevations. Sea level rise (SLR) poses a formidable challenge to these highly exposed urban areas and already stressed natural systems. “Green”, or ecosystem-based, adaptation is already on the way around the Bay. Large scale wetland restoration projects have already been concluded, and further action now often requires articulation with the reinforcement of flood defense structures, given the level of urban encroachment. While levee setback, or removal, would provide greater environmental benefit, the need to protect urban areas and infrastructure has led to the trial of ingenious solutions for promoting wetland resilience while upgrading the level of protection provided by levees. We analyzed the...
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A poorly designed riverfront intervention typically fails on several levels: a bad program, with the wrong budget and timing, no concern for local needs or context, results in an unattractive and costly intervention, with reduced to no... more
A poorly designed riverfront intervention typically fails on several levels: a bad program, with the wrong budget and timing, no concern for local needs or context, results in an unattractive and costly intervention, with reduced to no social or environmental benefit. Urban riverfront interventions may be improved in the future if, when deciding what to do with our urban riverfronts, we learn from past mistakes. This may be as important (or perhaps more) as observing what worked. The successful element in another city may not be repeatable, as the context and opportunity was very specific to that one city. Yet, recognizing what didn't work elsewhere, the causes for failure, may provide us with the clues we need on how to improve our own projects. Knowing how to avoid oversizing, overspending, inadequately planning, failing to attract diverse publics and uses or fail to provide ecological benefits will, paradoxically, provide us with an excellent framework on how to create a bett...
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The San Francisco Bay (CA, USA) and the Tagus Estuary (Lisbon, Portugal) share striking similarities in terms of morphology and urban development. A finer analysis of development patterns reveals crucial differences in the extent of... more
The San Francisco Bay (CA, USA) and the Tagus Estuary (Lisbon, Portugal) share striking similarities in terms of morphology and urban development. A finer analysis of development patterns reveals crucial differences in the extent of shoreline alteration and types of land use that now encroach upon natural estuarine habitat. Through historical map analysis and prior stratigraphic and historical research, we reconstruct in GIS environment the evolution of both estuaries over the last millennia and the relative distribution of different classes of land cover. We also discuss the legal frameworks that accompanied this evolution, and how they have influenced the process of wetland reclamation and landfilling. We compared the legal history and synchronous patterns of development by compiling historical mapping information and resorting to GIS analysis to explore spatial patterns over time. This method was useful in isolating events and decisions that were unique to each of the case studie...
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Research Interests:
We trace the relationship between cities and rivers throughout history, following the evolving riverfront through the succession of shifting attitudes towards the river. From the early river-as-god, provider and destroyer, onto the... more
We trace the relationship between cities and rivers throughout history, following the evolving riverfront through the succession of shifting attitudes towards the river. From the early river-as-god, provider and destroyer, onto the harnessing of the river for economy and protection, through cycles of destruction and neglect, we analyse the shifts in uses, scale and structure of the waterfronts leading up to what we consider to be an era of opportunity, marked by a renewed awareness of the river's importance as a natural ecosystem corridor and as a major component of any riverine city's green structure.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
people from former Portuguese colonies in Africa and from rural areas of the country in pursuit of higher living standards. Much of this population growth was accommodated clustered high-rise apartment blocks (many unpermitted) in the... more
people from former Portuguese colonies in Africa and from rural areas of the country in pursuit of higher living standards. Much of this population growth was accommodated clustered high-rise apartment blocks (many unpermitted) in the region west of Lisbon, in the municipalities Oeiras, Cascais, Sintra, and Amadora. These developments were largely unplanned, often did not provide for sewage treatment, and lack adequate mass transit or urban amenities such as parks and other open spaces. Moreover, because the main transport axes run east-west, it is difficult for residents of these apartment blocks to go the relatively short distance southward to the coast (e.g., only 10 km from Cacém to the coast). This region is drained by a set of subparallel streams (each draining about 20-50 km2), flowing roughly north-south through deeply incised valleys to debouch into the Atlantic between Lisbon and Cascais. With rapid urbanization peak runoff has increased, resulting from larger impervious s...
Eco-tourism is a growing part of the tourism industry. However, there are no agreed-upon criteria of what constitutes eco-tourism, so the industry is currently self-identified, with eco-lodges simply declaring themselves so. Here we... more
Eco-tourism is a growing part of the tourism industry. However, there are no agreed-upon criteria of what constitutes eco-tourism, so the industry is currently self-identified, with eco-lodges simply declaring themselves so. Here we present the first systematic comparison of eco-tourism versus conventional (or mass) tourism, using as our study area a set of 37 resorts along the southern Red Sea coast of Egypt, all constructed on similarly oriented parcels between the sea and the Red Sea Mountain Range. We compared resorts based on their water, energy, and waste management (all virtually equivalent), and based on mappable environmental parameters such as swimming pool surface area, distance from mangrove patches, conflict with flood plains, extent of lawn area, and means of access to deep water. We found that the self-identified eco-tourism establishments were not significantly different from the conventional tourism resorts in terms of their stress on environmental resources. We recommend that future eco-tourism operations be modified in two key ways. First, on the planning level, by modifying the regional master plan created by the central government tourism authorities. Second, on the site design level, by introducing significant improvements to the design approval processes for the developments to ensure compliance with environmental requirements.
Cairo is a congested city with high rate of urbanization and very limited public space. Cairo has one of the lowest rates of parkland per capita of any major city. Moreover, the banks of the Nile, formerly alive with activities such as... more
Cairo is a congested city with high rate of urbanization and very limited public space. Cairo has one of the lowest rates of parkland per capita of any major city. Moreover, the banks of the Nile, formerly alive with activities such as washing, fishing, and felucca landings, were by the end of the twentieth century largely cutoff from free public access by a wall of busy roads, private clubs, luxury hotels, restaurants, nurseries, and police/military stations, roads. The need for open space for people from lower income who could not afford the expensive options along the Nile banks, has resulted in use of the sidewalks of the main bridges as public spaces. Families, couples, and friends tolerate the noise and fumes of traffic to enjoy the expansive views and breezes over the Nile. As a result of this extraordinary re-purposing of the bridges, new small businesses have formed to cater to the uses, and a new interaction with the river has emerged. We studied the patterns of use, characteristics of the user population, and stated preferences of users. We identify a set of characteristics contributing to the popularity of the bridges as public space, including affordability, accessibility, openness to the river and visual connection with the other bank. We propose that these characteristics be taken into account when developing future projects along the river water front to address the need for public space and access to the Nile. Keywords: