Wallasea Wetlands is a reclaimed

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

s area located in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It has been created as part of a government-funded wetlands scheme to halt the decline of wild and endangered birds caused by the drainage and development of former wetland sites. It is the largest man-made marine wetland area in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. The wetland spans an area of 115

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...

s (1.15 km²) and is sited on

Wallasea Island Wallasea Island lies in Essex, England. It is bounded to the north by the River Crouch, to the south east by the River Roach, and to the west by Paglesham Pool and the narrow Paglesham Creek. The population of the Island is included in the c ...

, which borders two rivers (

River Crouch The River Crouch is a small river that flows entirely through the English county of Essex. The distance of the Navigation between Holliwell Point which is north of Foulness Island and Battlesbridge is 17.5 Miles, i.e. 15.21 Nautical Miles. Ro ...

to the north and

River Roach A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

to the south-east). They provide winter grounds for wading birds, as well as breeding and nursery areas for aquatic wildlife, such as

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, mullet,

flatfish A flatfish is a member of the Ray-finned fish, ray-finned demersal fish order (biology), order Pleuronectiformes, also called the Heterosomata, sometimes classified as a suborder of Perciformes. In many species, both eyes lie on one side of the ...

and

herring Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae. Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, i ...

and even some types of dolphin. The area will also help to reduce the flooding of properties near the River Crouch by providing a run-off area for floodwaters. In the process being termed "managed re-alignment", the seawall that protects croplands and property was re-established in more tenable positions, three miles behind the new wetlands, which will provide habitat for birds like oystercatchers, avocets and little terns, according to the press release issued at the time. Walkers and birdwatchers will be able to enjoy the scenery by means of a new footpath that has been built on the top of this new relocated sea wall. Construction was completed in 2006 and by 2011 the land had evolved into wetland,

mudflat Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal fl ...

s, saline

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') a ...

s and seven artificial islands, allowing the wildlife to reside on these areas. An extension to the scheme, using 2,400 shiploads of spoil excavated from London's Crossrail tunnels, was completed in July 2015, when an additional area of land was opened to tidal flow. This has formed the Jubilee Marsh (160 ha / 400 acres). The whole project is expected to be completed by 2025.

History

Wetlands have existed on Wallasea Island since ancient times, when much of the Essex coastline was bordered by rich breeding grounds for birds. In the 15th century these lands were drained by Dutch settlers for agricultural use with the construction of the original sea wall. Over time more wetland areas were drained for development, leading to the reduction and endangerment of the wildlife that depended on it. During the late 1980s and early 1990s two areas of

salt marsh A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is dominated ...

and mud flat at Lappel Bank in the

Medway Estuary Medway Estuary and Marshes is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches along the banks of the River Medway between Gillingham and Sheerness in Kent. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I, a Ramsar international ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

and Fagbury Flats in the

Orwell Estuary Orwell Estuary is a 1,335.7 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches along the River Orwell and its banks between Felixstowe and Ipswich in Suffolk. It is part of the Stour and Orwell Estuaries Ramsar site interna ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

(both on the east coast of England) were drained and port developments at

Sheerness Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...

and

Felixstowe Felixstowe ( ) is a port town in Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest container port in the United Kingdom. Felixstowe is approximately 116km (72 miles) northeast of London. His ...

were built in their place. The

European Court of Justice The European Court of Justice (ECJ, french: Cour de Justice européenne), formally just the Court of Justice, is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European Un ...

ruled that under the European Birds Directive these wetlands had to be replaced, and it was decided that new wetlands should be created. The following criteria for Wallasea Wetlands has been met in accordance with this ruling: * they will complement and uphold existing coastal strategies and not impact on other local environmentally sensitive sites * they will create an attractive, sustainable site for the bird population that has been displaced over a 50- to 70-year period * they will provide additional flood and storm protection for the area * they will create an attractive environment for local people that would not impact negatively on existing business or leisure activities In 2005, the £7.5million project to return the island to its original

was commenced, beginning with the construction of the new sea defence wall, defining the area where the tides were permitted to flood. Work was completed on 4 July 2006, when 300m of the original sea wall were bulldozed, allowing sea tides to flood the area at high tide.

References

External links

Up to date images and webcams of the RSPB Wild Coast Project

Wallasea Wetlands Creation Project eNewsletter
DEFRA, 16 May 2011
From Directive to Detail: A joined up response to flooding?
Colin Scott, ABP Marine Environmental Research, 26 Jan 2007

* ttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/essex/5143802.stm BBC News: "Huge marine wetland starts life"4 July 2006
PR Newswire: UK's largest man-made wetland created in Essex

Planning Application for Wallasea Island
{{coord, 51.6144, 0.8542, type:landmark_dim:2000_region:GB-ESS, display=title Wetlands of England Environment of Essex Nature reserves in Essex Constructed wetlands Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reserves in England