Contested estuary ontologies: The conflict over the fairway adaptation of the Elbe River, Germany.

The article focuses on the contested fairway adaptation of the Elbe Estuary in northern Germany, a major infrastructure project involving dredging to deepen and widen the shipping channel for larger container vessels. It analyzes the conflict through a political ecology lens, emphasizing how differing "estuary ontologies"—distinct ways of knowing, relating to, and enacting the estuary—underlie disputes among actors such as port authorities, environmental NGOs, fishers, and planners. These ontologies shape competing narratives and environmental knowledge claims about the estuary’s ecology, navigability, and future, with proponents viewing it as a manageable waterway essential for economic growth, while opponents see it as a dynamic, vulnerable ecosystem at risk from dredging. The study highlights the role of power relations and knowledge production in privileging certain estuary realities over others and suggests that inclusive, participatory approaches to environmental modeling and planning could better address the ontological dimensions of such conflicts.