Water And Disturbance Environmental Restoration on the Northumbrian coast

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

LIFE WADER is a cross-border project, mostly located in Northumberland (England), but including the extensive Tweed River catchment in Scotland. It targets 10 habitats listed in Annex I of the EU Habitats Directive, 3 species listed in Annex II and associated SPA bird interests affected by impacts linked to human activity (pollution, disturbance, invasive alien species) across 6 interconnected SACs/SPAs, totalling over 75 000 ha. All freshwater, coastal and marine habitats targeted by this project are in bad conservation status. The project will tackle key issues negatively affecting the condition of the sites, through a ‘source-to-sea’ approach, enabling them to become more resilient to climate change.

 

OBJECTIVES

The project aims to improve almost 50,000 ha of freshwater, dune and marine habitats listed in Annex I – from favourable/not secure and unfavourable status towards favourable/secure status – and to restore species to designation levels. This in turn will deliver climate change benefits, increasing the ecosystems’ resilience to extreme weather events and other climate change pressures.

The project’s key objectives include:

1. Reverse the decline of freshwater/coastal/marine habitats and species across the project area, using best practice methods to focus and move almost 50,000 ha of Annex 1 SAC habitats and associated SAC species and SPA qualifying features towards favourable/secure condition, delivering:  
   • Improved water quality in and around the River Tweed, the Tweed Estuary and key coastal stream entry points into the SAC/SPA sites;
   • Enhanced cross-border working with regulators on water quality and IAS (e.g. Acaena novae-zelandiae and Corella eumoyota);
   • Removal of opportunistic macro-algae smothering intertidal habitats;
   • Reduced disturbance to birds/mammals/sensitive habitats by assessing sites’ carrying capacity and pressure points, including pressure from tourism, and
   • Improved IAS control through better surveillance, detection and removal across dune/freshwater/marine habitats;
2. Demonstrate best practice to businesses, policy makers and land managers. Freshwater/marine eDNA and ecosystem monitoring systems will be developed to better target restoration interventions and involve greater use of citizen science. Increase knowledge/skills at local/national/transnational levels including replicating work at 20 sites; and 
3. Increase awareness of the importance and vulnerability of the SAC/SPA sites and designated features, for example, the bird assemblages' interdependence on the wider coastal ecosystem, for 500,000 people per year to provide a longer project legacy. Inspire more sustainable management and care from a wide range of users, volunteers, stakeholders, businesses, regulators, visitors and communities.

The project will contribute to implementation of a range of EU policy and legislation, namely:

• The Habitats Directive as it will improve the condition of nearly 50 000 ha including coastal dunes, estuaries, mudflats and sandflats not covered by seawater at low tide, intertidal seagrass beds and water courses;
• The Birds Directive as improved habitats and project actions will help safeguard breeding and wintering populations and mitigate against disturbance/water quality issues associated with the Northumbria Coast/Lindisfarne SPAs;
• The Water Framework Directive (WFD) as the project area has 33 WFD bodies and will contribute to the Solway Tweed/Northumberland river basin management plans and ecological status of groundwater dependent terrestrial ecosystems. New tree cover in the SAC will help to reduce rapid runoff/sedimentation, with positive impacts downstream for freshwater Annex II species such as salmon;
• The Marine Strategy Framework Directiveas the project works on the abundance, distribution and condition of almost 50,000 ha of marine habitat, ensuring it is not impacted by human activities, and working towards ‘good environmental status’. This also links with the EU's integrated coastal zone management;
• The biodiversity strategy to 2020 (targets 1-5); and
• The nature restoration plan (part of the biodiversity strategy for 2030) by: restoring rivers to a free-flowing state; reducing Red List species threatened by IAS; reducing chemical/pesticide/nutrient losses from agriculture; and reaching favourable conservation status or a positive trend. By contributing to the 2030 biodiversity strategy, the project is also in line with the European Green Deal.
• LIFE WADER will also contribute to the delivery of the Bern Convention and the Ramsar Convention.

RESULTS

Expected results:

• Creation of 15 reed bed/settling areas at key river entry points into intertidal Natura 2000 sites and piloting of innovative approaches to diffuse pollution through demonstration activities;
• General River Tweed restoration including 1.5 km flood bank alterations, over 60 ha of riparian woodland, almost 1.8 km of fencing and creation of 250 km of riparian habitat. At Harehope, creation of 1.5 ha of wetland, 3 ha of woodland and 20 ha of reconnected floodplain;
• Trials undertaken for removal of opportunistic macro-algae and agricultural reuse with collection/removal of up to 25% (nearly 60 tonnes). Small-scale seagrass planting carried out, if necessary;
• Refuges increased by almost 30% including the creation of 8 ha of refuges and habitat for roseate tern. A total of 5 seasonal wardens employed along the coast ensuring behavioural change work is completed and utilised; and
• Review of the existing byelaws, codes of conduct and other similar mechanisms and their success, development of better cooperation and joint learning with a range of key stakeholders and help to reduce detrimental/damaging activity on key SAC/SPA habitats.