Did you know it is now more than 25 years since the first managed realignment was carried out in the UK; the Northey Island project on the Blackwater Estuary in 1991? To mark the occasion we have reviewed the current situation in the UK, resulting in a White Paper that lists completed schemes and the extent of habitats created

Did you know it is now more than 25 years since the first managed realignment was carried out in the UK; the Northey Island project on the Blackwater Estuary in 1991?

Since then, at least 74 different intertidal habitat creation projects have taken place around our coasts. Of these projects, 50 have involved managed realignment (i.e. with the breaching or removal of seawalls), the rest are regulated tidal exchange (RTE) schemes using a variety of different culvert and sluice designs.

To mark the occasion we have reviewed the current situation in the UK, resulting in a White Paper that lists completed schemes and the extent of habitats created. It also provides some extra information about the costs of some schemes, as well as summarising some of the many benefits that can accrue from such projects.

We prepared our review using information found in our freely available completed schemes database (accessed at our OMReg microsite). We are keen to disseminate and collate all data related to habitat creation/restoration schemes. If you would like to share any such information please get in touch.

Download our White Paper: UK Marine Habitat Creation Schemes

Prepared by Susi Armstrong, Coastal Habitat Creation Specialist

^{Aerial image courtesy RSPB
RTE construction image courtesy Arup}