Building Biodiversity Case Studies

As part of our work on the BBS Hub we plan to promote and share case studies where ecological enhancements have take place both locally around the Solent and more widely.

Local

• MudFlats™️ is a vertically stacking intertidal soft sediment habitat system
• Installation of Vertipools at Forton FCERM
• River Hamble pile cap replacement to provide nesting sites for Oystercatchers
• MARine INFrastructure EFFects (MARINEFF)
• North Portsea Island Phase 3 (Tipner)

• The recent repairs to the concrete sea wall at the River Hamble Harbour Master's Office have included some novel biodiversity enhancement features. An eco form liner was used to create a textured a surface, and the wall contains water retaining holes and ledges in the intertidal zone.  These will be monitored by Bournemouth University as part of a wider PhD. An adjacent length of the wall will be repaired in the next 2 or 3 years and the aim is to create the same features, and to reinstate the Vertipools currently in situ on that section.

National/International

• Ecostructure are looking at ways to facilitate the growth of marine species on concrete coastal structures like seawalls and breakwaters to benefit coastal communities and ecosystems.
• The Engineering with Nature (EWN) Atlas, Volume 2, showcases EWN principles and practices in action through illustrations and descriptions of 62 projects from around the world.
• Seattle's Seawall Protecting The City's Waterfront While Protecting Fish
• Artificial reef 3D printing for Atlantic area
• Shelving the Coast With Vertipools: Retrofitting Artificial Rock Pools on Coastal Structures as Mitigation for Coastal Squeeze
• Estuary Edges
• Sydney Living Sea Walls
• Fish Below Your Feet and Other Solutions for a Living Harbor

Best Practice and Ideas

• Wildflower meadows have transformed a previously derelict section of land around Kendall's Wharf as part of the North Portsea Island Coastal Defence Scheme. Around 2,000m2 section of seeds were planted alongside the construction of a newly raised coastal footpath, which was delivered as part of Phase 4 of the Scheme.
• Coastal Partners removed a timber revetment at West Beach, Hayling Island and visitors collected the recycled timber for garden features and bench making.
• Coastal Partners have installed 'Tide Pools' as part of a FCERM scheme which are made of a concrete that has a reduced pH so they help create new habitats for different marine life. It is hoped that the pools will attract biodiversity such as periwinkles, anemones, crabs, and fish.
• At Portsea Island coastal defence scheme wall sections included ecoformliner (a textured mould giving the concrete a shape, which provides shelter and retains moisture) has been used to promote ecological growth.
• The University of Portsmouth has joined forces with The Seahorse Trust and national boating business, boatfolk, as part of a re-wilding project which aims to create a safe habitat for one of the UK’s native seahorse species, the protected Short Snouted Seahorse, along with other juvenile and vulnerable marine wildlife. University researchers worked with partners to install the first Biohut cage system at Haslar Marina in Portsmouth. 

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