Harwich Haven Authority Launches Project to Restore Saltmarsh at RSPB Nature Reserve and Boost Coastal Resilience

23 February 2026

 

Harwich Haven Authority (HHA) is pleased to announce the launch of the BUDS (Beneficial Use of Dredged Sediment) project – working with local conservationists on a pioneering initiative that will reuse dredged sediment from harbour maintenance to restore saltmarsh habitat and enhance coastal protection around the Haven. 

Rather than disposing of dredged sediment at sea, BUDS will repurpose mud from Harwich harbour and distribute it in Copperas Bay, near Wrabness, to restore saltmarsh, stabilise shorelines, and support biodiversity, including native plants such as sea lavender and samphire, along with habitat for saltmarsh and estuarine wildlife. 

“This project will safeguard the Haven’s vital navigation channel while turning routine dredging into a nature-positive opportunity,” said Harwich Haven Authority’s Harbour Engineer, Jim Warner.  

“Maintaining the Haven’s navigation channel is essential to the national economy and supports thousands of local jobs, whilst ensuring the smooth operation of one of the UK’s busiest ports.”  

“Through the BUDS initiative, we’re able to reuse the sediment from this work to help restore and protect the Haven’s vulnerable saltmarsh. This approach delivers long-term benefits for both local communities and the wildlife that depends on these coastal habitats.” 

Saltmarsh is a rare and special habitat in the UK that teems with wildlife, but much has been lost due to sea level rise and change of land use. Dredged sediment will help to restore eroded saltmarsh which regularly floods with seawater and creates the unique habitat found there. In time, the restored saltmarsh will repopulate with small salt tolerant plants 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 in food for overwintering wading birds including Black-tailed Godwits, Redshank, Turnstones, Curlew, Grey Plovers, Knot and Dunlin. Flocks of wildfowl including Wigeon, Teal, Pintail, Mallard, Shelduck and Dark-bellied Brent Goose will also benefit during winter months. 

The saltmarsh that will be restored is sizeable at just over 76.5 hectares in size, equivalent to 107 football pitches. 

Works at Copperas Bay is due to take place between 20 February and 20 March 2026. The programme will involve pumping of sediment by dredging contractor Boskalis Westminster, following the installation of temporary bunds and placement of coir rolls by construction contractor Amicus Civil Engineering to initially keep sediment in place, followed by vegetation and habitat restoration. 

Rick Vonk, Site Manager at RSPB Stour Estuary said: “Re-using dredged sediment is a clever way of using a natural solution to solve the problem of saltmarsh loss. We look forward to seeing the results of the work with HHA, and how it will help wading and wildfowl birds thrive at RSPB Stour Estuary in the future.”  

Dr Natalie Hicks, from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Essex, said: “University of Essex researchers are delighted to be involved in assessing the recovery of the saltmarsh following the addition of dredged sediment.” 

“There is a real potential for this novel approach to enhance saltmarsh restoration and future proof our coastlines, particularly under rising sea levels due to climate change.  

“Saltmarshes play a key role in supporting biodiversity, protecting our coasts and taking up and storing carbon, so this restoration and protection may prove pivotal in tackling climate change. This project demonstrates how industry, conservation organisations and academia can work together to protect and restore our coasts for the future.” 

Theadora Sherriff, a Masters student at the University, together with colleagues Professor Graham Underwood, Dr Natalie Hicks and Dr Nicola Slee, will undertake an ambitious fieldwork campaign to monitor the saltmarsh, and the repopulation of saltmarsh plants, over the weeks and months following the BUDS addition.