URBANE Final Stakeholder Workshop Enhancing Biodiversity in Urban Natural and Artificial Coastal Environments Steve Hawkins Richard Thompson Welcome!

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1 URBANE Final Stakeholder Workshop Enhancing Biodiversity in Urban Natural and Artificial Coastal Environments Steve Hawkins Richard Thompson Welcome!

2 URBANE & related Esmeé Fairbairn projects

3 URBANE partners

4 Some surprising artificial structures Another place

5 Some surprising artificial structures Summary Measured levels of recruitment 1 year post installation (2006) at 14 different areas on each statue (n = 100) Each position represents a combination of environmental factors: Direction (north, south, shoreward, or seaward) Exposure (sheltered or exposed) Shore height Location (latitude and longitude) Topographical complexity Bracewell et al. (2012) PLoS ONE

6 URBANE stakeholder workshop Overview Session I: Integrating Policy, Engineering and Ecology in Coastal Management Session II: Managing biodiversity on sea defences.outcomes of URBANE: Ecological management tools Session III: Urban Waterway Restoration & Enhancement Session IV: Case Studies - Lessons Learnt from the Bioprotection Project & the Shaldon Project Session V: Open Discussion and Workshop Summary

7 Problems & prospects for urban coastlines in a rapidly changing world Louise B. Firth

8 Humans and the coast Increasing coastal populations 1

9 Global climate change Projections Temperature increase (1-7⁰C) by 2100 Seas to rise by 0.6 m by 2100 More extreme waves & storm surges IPCC (2007) The Physical Science Basis

10 Global climate change SLR, extreme waves & storm surges

11 Hardening of coasts Coastal defence schemes Local scale solution..

12 Hardening of coasts Coastal defence schemes leads to regional scale impacts.

13 Two parallel projects Flood risk, urban ecology & biodiversity Key objectives 1. Characterise biodiversity of artificial & natural habitats 2. Implement engineering interventions to enhance habitat heterogeneity & promote biodiversity

14 Project deliverables Papers & guidelines

15 Workshop Schedule Session I: Integrating Policy, Engineering and Ecology in Coastal Management 10:30 Managing coastal flood & erosion risks the strategic context Dan Normandale (Environment Agency) 10:45 Coastal habitat conservation: legal obligations & policy drivers Dr Duncan Huggett (Environment Agency) 11:00 Compensatory habitat creation through managed realignment: Can we replace what is already lost? Anissia White (University of Plymouth) 11:15 Functional design in coastal engineering: making space for habitats Dr David Simmonds (University of Plymouth)

16 Workshop Schedule Session II: Managing biodiversity on sea defences. Outcomes of URBANE: Ecological management tools 11:30 The pre-cast BIOBLOCK and novel gabion design Dr Louise Firth 11:45 Predicting biodiversity on artificial structures from 3D models Prof Michael Burrows (Scottish Association for Marine Science) 12:00 From ecological theory to engineering design: artificial rockpool case study Ally Evans (Aberystwyth University) 12:30 Buffet lunch and posters

17 Workshop Schedule Session III: Urban Waterway Restoration & Enhancement 13:30 Restoring disused docks and other urban waterways. Outcomes of URBANE: The case study of the Liverpool Docks Prof Stephen J. Hawkins and Dr Katrin Bohn (University of Southampton) 13:45 Natural and anthropogenic stressors influence invertebrate biodiversity of tidallyinfluenced river Dr Michael Chadwick (King s College London) 14:00 Reconciliation ecology and urban river ecosystems Dr Simon Hoggart (University of Plymouth) 14:15 The potential use of sand replenishment and artificial environments to reverse habitat decline in the Mersey Narrows SSSI John Lamb (Head of Geography, The Blue Coat School, Liverpool) 14:30 Coffee Break

18 Workshop Schedule Session IV: Case Studies - Lessons Learnt from the Bioprotection Project & the Shaldon Project 15:00 Bioprotection of concrete structures by fucoids and barnacles Dr Larissa Naylor (University of Glasgow) 15:15 Ecological enhancement in practice Deborah Dunsford (Environment Agency) 15:30 Ecological enhancement of seawalls and breakwaters Prof Richard Thompson (University of Plymouth) 15:45 Surf and Algal Turf - and update on Boscombe surf reef Dr Roger Herbert (Bournemouth University) Session V: Open Discussion and Workshop Summary 16:00 Problems and Prospects - How can the increased need for defending our coasts be managed ecologically? Prof Stephen J. Hawkins and Prof Richard C. Thompson 17:00 The URBANE team will be available for informal discussions after the workshop.

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