RSPB Forth Reserves Warden Allison Leonard tells us about a massive new project getting underway at RSPB Skinflats in the Forth.

 

On Monday 10th of September, a lot of hard work and effort by the extended team came to fruition when the diggers arrived on site to start the Managed Retreat project at our Skinflats reserve.

 

The diggers arriving on site! (photo credit Yvonne Boles)

Managed realignment involves realigning an existing coastline to allow tidal water to once again inundate an area of land. This is often undertaken on land that has historically been re-claimed from the sea and as such is at a higher risk of coastal flooding. Unlike other ‘hard’ engineering strategies, this managed process allows for the natural processes, and intertidal habitats that protect the coastline, to re-establish. It also provides a variety of other benefits, including, flood protection, habitat creation. Managed realignment has been successfully undertaken in many other parts of the UK, and this will only be the second time this has been done in Scotland.

Diggers creating the new lagoon (phot credit: James Leonard)

We will be providing regular updates on the progress of the project here on our blog, so if you are interested then do keep checking.

This project has been generously funded by EcoCo LIFE and the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of the Inner Forth Landscape Initiative.

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