Ecological Survey
Managed realignment scheme monitoring
Associated British Ports
Ecological Survey
Due to a number of port development projects on the Humber Estuary, managed realignment schemes were created at Welwick and Chowder Ness, to avoid adverse effects on the Humber Estuary Special Protection Area, Special Area of Conservation and Ramsar site.
Inundation of Welwick and Chowder Ness occurred in 2006, creating 45ha and 11ha, respectively, of intertidal habitat. ABPmer was involved in the initial design, detailed environmental impact assessment and management and monitoring programme for these sites.
This monitoring is a legal requirement to ensure the sites are meeting objectives set in the Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan.
ABPmer is responsible for coordinating monitoring requirements, analysis, and interpretation of results, as well as presentation of the results at annual meetings of an Environmental Steering Committee comprising regulators, regulatory advisors and environmental NGOs.
The Plan and its implementation have regularly been cited as an example of best practice. The two realignment sites continue to be annually monitored to understand development post-inundation.
ABPmer's ecologists support impact assessments, site management decisions and conservation policy development through bespoke, robust and proportionate habitat, bird, fish and marine mammal surveys. Learn more about our ecological survey capability.
