Restoring Estuarine and Coastal Habitats with Dredged Sediment
Organisation: Environment Agency
Location: UK and Ireland
Type: Technical Support & Training
This handbook, “Restoring Estuarine and Coastal Habitats with Dredged Sediment”, provides conceptual, practical and regulatory guidance on the beneficial use of sediments arising from dredging activities across the UK.
Beneficial use is a tool, providing the geomorphological and physical conditions required for successful restoration. The guidance provided can therefore be applied to support the restoration of coastal and estuarine habitats.
The handbook is aimed at a range of individuals and organisations including local communities and coastal partnerships, policy makers, nature conservation bodies and others interested, or involved in, dredging, coastal management and habitat restoration. It aims to support the restoration of estuarine and coastal habitats and the more sustainable management of sediment resources, with benefits including, but not limited to improved biodiversity, water quality, carbon sequestration and adaption to climate risks.
Overall, this handbook aims to support greater application of small scale feasibility projects, as well as larger, more complex beneficial use projects.
What's included
- An introduction to the dredging sector and the concept of beneficial use, including the legal framework, terminologies, existing barriers, basic principles and benefits (Chapter 1);
- A review of the main dredging, transport and disposal methods and the implications for sediment management, supported with UK and international case examples and guidance regarding key considerations and strategic planning to aid project delivery (Chapter 2);
- A guide to the regulatory and marine licensing process, including advice on impact assessments, monitoring and mitigation (Chapter 3); and
- Recommendations for improving the strategic and collaborative management of sediment moving forward (Chapter 4).
This handbook is one of a quartet of restoration guidelines, developed alongside those for native oyster reefs, seagrass meadows and saltmarshes.
Partners: Environment Agency, Cefas, ABPmer.