Coastal ecological enhancement in the Humber

Project Description

The sea-surface temperature of the UK waters has risen by 0.5-1.0 °C since 1870 and, during the twentieth century, both mean and extreme sea level have risen by 14cm (UKMMASS, 2010). The resulting sea level rise has reduced the area of the intertidal around the UK resulting in coastal squeeze and also has increased the need for the use of engineering solutions to protect infrastructure along the UK coastline. This can take the form of hard substrate engineering such as seawalls, groynes and breakwaters or in more sheltered areas restoration of saltmarsh and sand dune systems provide additional protection to important sites further inland. In the Humber, engineered schemes such as the re-alignment scheme forming part of the flood defences along the estuary have created additional wildlife habitat in addition to the flood protection role (Humber Nature Partnership, n.d.) .

However, there are also multiple hard substrate structures along the estuary, varying from hard substrate sea defences to the infrastructure associated with industry. Recent work has shown that simple, cost effective engineering solutions are available that can be used to enhance such structures in terms of providing additional wildlife habitat. This can take the form of installing pools or grooves and shallow holes in hard substrate defences, to using natural rope around existing dis-used pier legs to create additional heterogeneity for organisms to colonise. Such techniques can be retro-fitted to existing structure and provide additional habitat for wildlife and help mitigate against coastal squeeze.

The study aims to do the following as agreed with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
• Catalogue the marine hard substrate fauna and flora within the Humber estuary from the fully maritime areas in the mouth up to the Humber bridge, and examine the changes in diversity and abundance along both the north and south banks.
• Describe the artificial structures on the North and South banks of the Humber to ascertain if there is any potential sites where ecological enhancement could be retrofitted.
• Determine what type of enhancement technique would be suitable for increasing abundance and diversity on the different hard substrates present with the view to creating viable marine hard substrate communities along the estuary.
• Propose site-specific enhancement where appropriate and devise a monitoring scheme to determine if the retro-fitting of the enhancement has had the desired outcomes.

The report of the study will be presented to the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and inform further bids for habitat management within the estuary, and will also form the basis for longer term research into the viability and cost effectiveness of ecological enhancement in an estuarine situation, something that has not previously been considered.