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Essex Coastal Sssis – Assessment of Changes in Extent of Saltmarsh Over the Period 1997 to 2008 Natural England

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Essex Coastal Sssis – Assessment of Changes in Extent of Saltmarsh Over the Period 1997 to 2008 Natural England Essex Coastal SSSIs: Assessment of Changes in Extent of Saltmarsh Over the Period 1997 to 2008 VOLUME 1 Report to Natural England Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies University of Hull 8th June 2011 Author(s): S Thomson, C Reid & S Boyes Report: ZBB745-F-2011 Institute of Estuarine & Coastal Studies (IECS) The University of Hull Cottingham Road Hull HU6 7RX UK + Tel: 44 (0)1482 464120 Fax: +44 (0)1482 464130 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: http://www.hull.ac.uk/iecs Natural England Essex Coastal SSSIs: Assessment of Changes in Extent of Saltmarsh Over the Period 1997 to 2008 VOLUME 1 17th May 2011 Reference No: ZBB745-D-2011 For and on behalf of the Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies Approved by: ______________________ Signed: ______________________ Position: ______________________ Date: ________________________ This report has been prepared by the Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies, with all reasonable care, skill and attention to detail as set within the terms of the Contract with the client. We disclaim any responsibility to the client and others in respect of any matters outside the scope of the above. This is a confidential report to the client and we accept no responsibility of whatsoever nature to third parties to whom this report, or any part thereof, is made known. Any such parties rely on the report at their own risk. Printed on 100% recycled paper Project Manager for Natural England: Carol Reid Mapping Adviser for Natural England: Michael Parkin Further acknowledgements: The ground truthing sections are based on condition assessment reports and field observations contributed by the following: Ian Black, Hamford Water; Charlie Williams – south Crouch and Roach; and Neil Fuller, Foulness, and Benfleet and Southend; Carol Reid, Blackwater, Colne, Dengie and the north Crouch. All those listed above also assisted with interpretation of the aerials during the production phase of the project. Essex Coastal SSSIs – Assessment of Changes in Extent of Saltmarsh Over the Period 1997 to 2008 Natural England TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. BACKGROUND ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Condition Assessments ............................................................................................. 1 1.2 Estuarine Coastal SSSIs & Study Rationale .............................................................. 1 1.3 Aims & Objectives ...................................................................................................... 2 2. METHODS ............................................................................................................................ 3 2.1 Study Area / Management Units ................................................................................ 3 2.2 Assessment Period .................................................................................................... 5 2.3 GIS Techniques ......................................................................................................... 5 2.3.1 Mapping ......................................................................................................... 5 2.3.2 Spatial Analysis .............................................................................................. 6 2.4 Ground truthing .......................................................................................................... 6 2.5 Limitations on saltmarsh aerial coverage imposed by the project remit ..................... 7 3. RESULTS ............................................................................................................................. 8 3.1 Benfleet and Southend Marshes SSSI ...................................................................... 8 3.2 Blackwater Estuary SSSI ......................................................................................... 10 3.3 Colne Estuary SSSI ................................................................................................. 29 3.4 Crouch & Roach Estuary SSSI ................................................................................ 36 3.5 Dengie SSSI ............................................................................................................ 49 3.6 Foulness SSSI ......................................................................................................... 51 3.7 Hamford Water SSSI ............................................................................................... 57 4. DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................................... 62 4.1 Previous Studies ...................................................................................................... 62 4.2 Previous Results ...................................................................................................... 63 4.2.1 Benfleet and Southend Marshes SSSI ........................................................ 64 4.2.2 Blackwater Estuary SSSI ............................................................................. 64 4.2.3 Colne Estuary SSSI ..................................................................................... 64 4.2.4 Crouch & Roach Estuaries SSSI ................................................................. 64 4.2.5 Dengie SSSI ................................................................................................ 65 4.2.6 Foulness SSSI ............................................................................................. 65 4.2.7 Hamford Water SSSI ................................................................................... 65 4.3 Comparison to Current Study .................................................................................. 65 4.3.1 Benfleet and Southend Marshes SSSI ........................................................ 66 4.3.2 Blackwater Estuary SSSI ............................................................................. 67 4.3.3 Colne Estuary SSSI ..................................................................................... 67 4.3.4 Crouch & Roach SSSI ................................................................................. 67 4.3.5 Dengie SSSI ................................................................................................ 67 4.3.6 Foulness SSSI ............................................................................................. 68 4.3.7 Hamford Water SSSI ................................................................................... 68 4.4 Consideration of the aerial survey conclusions compared with field observations and previous work ......................................................................................................... 68 4.4.1 Condition of the Essex saltmarshes ............................................................. 69 Page i Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies Essex Coastal SSSIs – Assessment of Changes in Extent of Saltmarsh Over the Period 1997 to 2008 Natural England 4.4.2 Evidence of change due to coastal initiatives to protect and create saltmarsh70 4.5 Recent and planned realignment and sediment reuse projects ............................... 70 5. CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................... 72 5.1 Recommendations for future work ........................................................................... 74 6. REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................... 75 APPENDIX 1 - AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS USED IN THIS STUDY ....................................................... 78 APPENDIX 2 – LIMITATIONS OF THE MAPPING METHODOLOGY .................................................. 80 Page ii Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies Essex Coastal SSSIs – Assessment of Changes in Extent of Saltmarsh Over the Period 1997 to 2008 Natural England 1. BACKGROUND 1.1 Condition Assessments Under the Environmental Protection Act (1990), the country agencies and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) are required to establish Common Standards throughout Great Britain for the monitoring of nature conservation on statutory sites. The condition of special interest features of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) are monitored in a rolling programme by Natural England (at least every 6 years) using what is termed as the UK Common Standards Monitoring approach. Condition monitoring is used to determine the conservation status of interest features on statutory sites and to determine whether the conservation objectives for particular sites are being met (JNCC, 2007). Monitoring of SSSIs provides a health check of the condition of sites against scientific criteria and provides information for the Government’s PSA (Public Service Agreement) target that 95% of all SSSIs should be in ‘favourable’ or ‘recovering’ condition by 2010. The features to be monitored are known as the interest features for which the site has been notified or designated. They include individual habitat types and species, and also complex features such as habitat mosaics and species assemblages. Each interest feature must be identified, monitored, assessed and reported on separately. 1.2 Estuarine Coastal SSSIs & Study Rationale The coastal saltmarshes of Essex are a valuable international, national, regional and local natural resource due to both their inherent coastal defence and nature conservation properties.
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