Improving water circulation into backlands of Lac Bay through channel management
Lac Bay is the lagoon of Bonaire; in that lagoon a mangrove forest of red and black mangroves grows. The mangrove forest of Lac provides birds and fishes of the surrounding
area with several important ecosystem services, as breeding ground, nursery and feeding area. These eco-‐services are threatened by a reduced water circulation which causes low
water heights in the backlands and thus a reduction of the area which is available to fishes. Water in the backland was measured hypersaline, the obtained result of low water circulation and high evaporation in the backlands.
This hypersaline values may reduce the area of viable mangroves in the backlands. The lagoon and the backlands are connected through two feeder channels and those natural channels will overgrow when no maintenance is applied causing even less water flowing into the backlands. Calculating appropriate channel dimensions and formulating a maintenance plan a certain discharge into the backlands can be ensured, which may reduce the degradation of ecosystem services.
