Groundwork NE & Cumbria step up efforts to tackle climate change on the banks of the Rivers Tyne and Wear

Groundwork NE & Cumbria has secured funding from the Environment Agency’s Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef programme (ReMeMaRe) to carry out these two projects. ReMeMaRe, (pronounced Re-Memory), is an ambitious coastal and estuarine habitat restoration initiative designed to reverse centuries of decline in seagrass meadows, saltmarshes and native oyster reefs across the country and to establish best practices and innovation in this field of nature and environmental conservation. Groundwork NE & Cumbria’s two North East projects are among other similar EA-funded schemes across England.

Subject to securing planning consent, and with the councils’ permission and support, Groundwork will work to enhance and restore the habitats on the banks of the River Tyne in Newcastle and the River Wear in Sunderland. In Newcastle, an area of 0.366 hectares of estuary edge opposite Newburn Industrial Park, equivalent to approximately half St James’ Park football pitch, will be restored, and in Sunderland, 0.62 hectares (almost equivalent to the full football pitch at the Stadium of Light ) has been earmarked for saltmarsh restoration on the Wear at Baron’s Quay and Claxheugh Rocks.

The areas were originally identified as ripe for restoration by a team of consultants from the University of Hull after a thorough review and mapping of both rivers.

The projects will be carried out in collaboration with Newcastle and Sunderland Councils, who own the land. Specialist marine and ecological contractors appointed by Groundwork NE & Cumbria will install brushwood bundles secured with chestnut stakes along the foreshore.

The installation and planting will slow the river flow, remove sediment from the river and allow mud, sand and silt to build up burying the structures which will eventually become part of the riverbank providing homes for fish, crabs and other marine life in the new saltmarsh.

Historically, saltmarshes and estuaries were nurseries for juvenile fish providing a haven outside the main river channel and away from predators. Restoring the saltmarshes recreates these habitats, improves fish stocks and encourages the return of different species, many of which were stripped out when the banks were built upon.

Nature restoration helps compensate for centuries of heavy industrialisation when riverbanks were built on, by restoring biodiversity and re-instating natural saltmarsh habitats on the remaining exposed areas of riverbank.

These efforts are part of a Nature-based Solutions (NbS) approach to tackling climate change with the newly restored estuary habitats storing carbon and providing habitat in areas affected by coastal squeeze. The work will also improve water quality and restore the rivers to good ecological health.

Commenting on the projects, Hellen Hornby, Principal Project Manager at Groundwork NE & Cumbria said: “The main aim of these projects is to restore and create natural habitats on these heavily industrialised rivers. Sadly, very little saltmarsh remains so anything we put back is a big win.

“Most riverbanks in the UK have been altered and reframed over centuries of industrialisation so on estuaries like the Tyne and Wear there are few places still accessible and available for saltmarsh restoration and other Nature-based Solutions. “We can’t remove quay walls, dock structures and other large industrial constructs, so finding these little pockets of land and trying to extend and improve what we have is crucial. It is small scale, but the benefits can be enormous.”

Rebecca O’Connell, Environment Programme Team Leader for the Environment Agency in the North East, said:

“In England, we have lost over 85% of our saltmarsh, 50% of our seagrass meadows and 95% of our native oyster reefs. With the loss of habitats comes the loss of valuable benefits and ecosystems.

“Restoring these precious estuarine and coastal ecosystems will enhance our connection to the natural world, help tackle the impacts of climate change, and loss of biodiversity, provide sustainable food, and improve the health and well-being of our citizens.

“We are delighted to be working with Groundwork NE & Cumbria on these projects in the North East and look forward to seeing the positive impact of their work.”