Natural England have successfully launched a pioneering habitat restoration project aimed at supporting breeding seabirds in the Solent, as part of larger Solent Seascape Project.
The project is planned to run for five years to create nesting sites for four types of terns – common, sandwich, little, and roseate – along with other seabirds. Initial trials with a shingle topped raft proved successful, attracting common terns to breed for the first time in more than two decades at the North Solent National Nature Reserve (NSNNR).
Photo: Solent Seascape Project
The NSNNR – known for its bird diversity – now has the new shingle islands situated behind a sea wall in an area with restricted access, which aim to protect the birds from the dangers of rising sea levels and human interference. The new shingle islands are expected to benefit both breeding seabirds in spring and summer, and overwintering wading birds.
The Solent Seascape Project is working to scientifically monitor the benefits of seascape-scale restoration, including measuring the carbon storage potential of restored habitats such as saltmarsh and seagrass, and ensuring that local people and sea-users co-design the project, thereby becoming more connected and engaged with their own marine environment.
The first seascape-scale marine restoration project in the UK received international recognition from the United Nations earlier this year after it was endorsed as an official United Nations Decade Action, joining other worldwide initiatives that seek to bridge gaps in important areas of ocean science and to connect people to the ocean in a sustainable way. Project partners include Blue Marine Foundation, RSPB, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Project Seagrass, Natural England, Environment Agency, Coastal Partners, Isle of Wight Estuaries Project, Chichester Harbour Protection and Recovery of Nature (CHaPRoN) and the University of Portsmouth. East Head Impact and the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme (ELSP), managed by the Cambridge Conservation Initiative and funded by Arcadia, support the Solent Seascape Project.