A new initiative will see sediment dredged from Harwich Haven Authority’s routine harbour maintenance dredging reused to restore shingle beach nesting habitat for endangered seabirds, including the amber-listed Little Tern. BUDS (Beneficial Use of Dredged Sediment) in the Blackwater Estuary will see the RSPB, Harwich Haven Authority, Essex Wildlife Trust and ZSL, alongside local conservationists, working together to protect the diverse and internationally important coastal habitat found on the east coast of England, whilst reducing flood risk for homes and businesses 

Beginning in October 2026, the £2.5m project (funded by the EA/Defra Natural Flood Management programme and the Transforming the Thames project, led by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL)), funded by the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme, managed by the Cambridge Conservation Initiative in partnership with Arcadia) will reduce coastal erosion and flood risk in the Blackwater Estuary. 

The project will be delivered in partnership with Harwich Haven Authority, one of the UK’s largest trust ports, using dredged sediment from harbour maintenance to recharge the foreshore at several locations. The beach recharge will protect the eroding foreshore including important saltmarsh and mudflat and reduce pressure on aging coastal flood defences, whilst also creating nesting habitat for beach nesting bird species including amber-listed Little Tern, Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher.  

The project makes use of clean dredged sand (that would otherwise be disposed of at sea) for beneficial purposes. Less than 1% of dredged sediment is currently used for beneficial purposes nationally, despite the significant benefit such projects can deliver for nature and society including habitat restoration, natural flood management and carbon sequestration.  

Beach recharge is the process of using dredged sand and shingle to top up beaches and increase flood protection and nesting habitat. The beach recharge on the Blackwater Estuary will build on work delivered by the Mersea Harbour Protection Trust, a charitable trust set up by a group of local individuals in 2022. Once deposited, it is expected that the sediment will respond to the tides and reform into a more natural shape, further protecting the sheltered creeks and channels of West Mersea from large waves and storm surges that can enter the estuary. This will help to ensure West Mersea’s future as an important commercial boating and fishing centre and native oyster fishery. 

During spring and summer, restored shingle banks will provide a place for ground-nesting birds such as Little Tern, Common Tern and Ringed Plover to raise their young.  These species are particularly susceptible to recreational disturbance as well as rising sea levels, nesting in shallow scrapes just above the tide line, so providing new nesting areas is crucial. It is hoped that the new areas of recharge will gradually colonise with stress-tolerant plants including sea kale and yellow horned poppy as well as rare invertebrate communities. 

The beaches will also protect important saltmarsh that helps absorb wave energy, helping to limit flood water levels inland and reduce the extent of coastal flooding. 

Saltmarsh is a rare and special habitat in the UK that teems with wildlife, but much has been lost through past land claim for agriculture, while it is also under threat from climate change-driven sea level rise.  In time, the restored saltmarsh will repopulate with native salt-tolerant plants Common Sea Heather,-Lavender and Samphire that help to catch more mud and silt, continually growing and expanding this special habitat.  

Work will also benefit many species of bird, some of which are threatened, by providing habitat rich food for overwintering wading birds including Black-tailed Godwits, Redshank, Curlews, Grey Plovers, Knot and Dunlin. Flocks of wildfowl including Wigeon, Teal, Pintail, Mallard, Shelduck and Dark-bellied Brent Geese will also benefit during winter months.  

James Dunn, Senior Project Manager at RSPB 

“We’re delighted to be delivering habitat restoration and natural flood management in the Blackwater Estuary with our partners, to support important declining species, whilst helping to reduce flood risk to coastal communities in this part of the Blackwater Estuary. 

We’re grateful to Harwich Haven Authority for supplying the material that would otherwise be deposited at sea and feel that the project acts as an important case study for eNGOs and ports working together to protect and restore important landscapes for people and nature” 

Harwich Haven Authority’s Harbour Engineer, Jim Warner says:

“The BUDS project allows us to take material generated through essential maintenance dredging and put it to beneficial use in and around the wider Haven. By placing sand and gravel at Cobmarsh Island and Old Hall Point, we’re helping to manage these natural materials in a way that supports the resilience of the estuary, while continuing to maintain the safe and navigable channels that are vital to the Haven and UK economy. 

“For us as at Harwich Haven Authority, this is about finding practical, sustainable ways to manage the material arising from our dredging operations. Rather than seeing it simply as a by-product of maintaining the navigation channel, BUDS gives us an opportunity to work with natural processes and put that material to good use within the estuary, delivering benefits that will build over time.” 

Alex Smith, Marine and Coastal Engagement Officer for Essex Wildlife Trust:  

“Habitat loss and sea level rise are two of the many increased pressures that wildlife faces along Essex’s coastline, with both detrimentally impacting people too. It’s therefore vital that we explore and deliver innovative ways to help protect it. The BUDS project will create new habitat for threatened beach-nesting birds and other wildlife, whilst helping to protect the local coastline from sea level rise and increased storm surges. Essex Wildlife Trust is proud to be part of a project that benefits both wildlife and humans, working alongside our project partners.” 

Thea Cox, Senior Restoration Manager, ZSL (Zoological Society of London) : 

“It is hugely exciting to see this pioneering work underway, that will provide key nesting opportunities for bird life along the Essex Coast. By increasing the amount of habitat available to these species, we are building better connectivity and resilience for the wildlife that depends on the Greater Thames Estuary. This is part of the first phase of the Transforming the Thames seascape recovery project – working to restore over 320 hectares of coastal habitat by 2030.”  

In October there are plans to host an invite-only stakeholder tour of the site (including project partners and environmental organisations) to introduce the scheme and explain its long-term vision for habitat regeneration.  

This project is funded by the Environment Agency as part of the £25 million Natural Flood Management Programme.