From the Parrinder hide at Titchwell you don’t just see a vast array of wetland birds: you’re also looking at an incredible coastal protection project.
Freshwater marshes are now in short supply in the UK, so it’s vital that we look after what we have left, and plan for the future. Titchwell’s freshwater marsh is within sight of the sea. Coastal erosion is a natural occurrence here as elsewhere in East Anglia and has been happening over a long time: we want to carefully manage this to make sure we don’t lose all our freshwater marsh. At Titchwell we decided to let the sea in. Partially, and in a controlled way. The newly formed saltmarsh created by allowing the tide to wash into the reserve will act as a buffer, soaking up the energy of the waves meaning that the reserve will not take a battering every time there’s a storm or tidal surge. The saltmarsh, and a new wall, now protect the freshwater part of the reserve, where bitterns, marsh harriers, avocets and bearded tits nest. This part of the reserve is also used by otters, and there’s a healthy population of water voles. So, if climate change causes sea levels to rise and storms to become more frequent, is Titchwell ready to cope?
The project was put to the test last December, when a storm surge on the Norfolk coast took out the beach boardwalk and two kilometres of Titchwell’s sand dunes. But the main sea defences held and the freshwater marsh was safe. RSPB Futurescape Officer Lotte Large wrote at the time “last night nature helped protect us from the storm”. This autumn, the Titchwell team have been working to protect the base of the sea defence wall with what they describe as “rock filled fabric sausages” which will break up waves until the saltmarsh has become properly established.
The project cost £1.1million, the majority of which was generously paid for by the EU LIFE+ Nature Fund, WREN, the SITA Trust and The Crown Estate’s Marine Communities Fund. The remainder of the project was funded through RSPB core funds and a member appeal.
Titchwell’s stunning separate Parrinder hide, costing £427k, was mainly funded by the EU Interreg IVB North Sea Regional Programme through the “Climate Proof Areas” project. Titchwell’s a popular place, with 80,000 visitors a year, so we think it’s important to have a large sheltered space where people can enjoy wildlife. We got the funding for the hide because it allows people to see for themselves the unusual method of flood defence that we’ve put in place. If you tell someone that you’re protecting the coast by letting the sea in they might be a bit worried! But when they see how it works here in what’s known as a “managed realignment” they realise there’s nothing to be scared of, and that this type of project can help to protect coastal habitats.
Paul Eele, RSPB warden at Titchwell and Snettisham, says: “The general view here is that this was money well spent: in effect it saved the reserve last year and will continue to protect us in the future.”
Watch Chris Packham talking about the project
Image: Avocet - Chris Gomersall