URBANE Final Stakeholder Workshop Enhancing Biodiversity in Urban Natural and Artificial Coastal Environments Steve Hawkins Richard Thompson Welcome!
URBANE & related Esmeé Fairbairn projects
URBANE partners
Some surprising artificial structures Another place
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
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
Problems & prospects for urban coastlines in a rapidly changing world Louise B. Firth
Humans and the coast Increasing coastal populations 1 http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu
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
Global climate change SLR, extreme waves & storm surges
Hardening of coasts Coastal defence schemes Local scale solution..
Hardening of coasts Coastal defence schemes leads to regional scale impacts.
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
Project deliverables Papers & guidelines
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)
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
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
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.