Today’s blog is written by Jazz Austin, RSPB Water Policy Officer, on how to join online our COP26’s Green Zone event.
On Sunday, the 7th November 2021 at 10:30am, the RSPB and the Environment Agency are co-hosting an event in the Green Zone of COP26, which will be livestreamed globally on the official COP26 YouTube channel. The event is called ‘Coast to coast: nature-based solutions for climate, biodiversity and people – lessons learned and stories from the ground’. Join us for the premiere of an inspirational film highlighting coastal habitat restoration with examples from the UK, China, South Korea and the Cayman Islands, followed by an expert Q&A panel discussion.
The past 200 years has resulted in significant global loss of nature-rich, carbon-storing coastal wetlands, which provide a lifeline for millions of people. This event demonstrates how through restoring, protecting and creating these habitats we can make coastlines more resilient to sea level rise and coastal erosion, whilst providing significant benefits for people and nature, through using nature-based solutions.
The UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) is a global summit where countries come together to make joint decisions about addressing climate change. During the summit, a large range of public events are hosted Glasgow, including in the official ‘Green Zone’. All Green Zone events are free to attend in-person and can be livestreamed through YouTube. For the full Green Zone event programme, visit the COP26 website.
The ‘Coast to Coast’ event will showcase successful examples of habitat restoration in coastal wetlands and illustrate the benefits to climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience, the economy, and health and well-being of local communities. The panel will share lessons learned from implementation and community engagement while facilitating a discussion around the ecological and cultural benefits that protecting these habitats can bring for the environment and local people.
The projects featured includes the Central Mangrove Wetland in the Cayman Islands, Medmerry in the UK, Shanghai Chongming Dongtan National Nature Reserve and Jiangsu Yancheng Yellow Sea World Heritage Site in China and the South Korean Yellow Sea Getbol World Heritage Site.
Nature-based solutions in coastal habitats
As a science-based and research-led organisation, the RSPB has significant experience working in partnership to deliver nature-based solutions in coastal habitats. This includes projects in West Sussex (Medmerry), Lancashire (Hesketh Out Marsh), Essex (Wallasea Island) and Falkirk (Skinflats), where habitats have been created for flood protection through a process called managed realignment. This work is vitally important as coastal communities are increasingly at risk from flooding due to coastal erosion, storm surges and rising sea levels. Intertidal wetland habitats helps reduce the risk of coastal flooding by acting as a buffer and need to be protected, created and restored.
As an example, Medmerry in the south coast of England and the largest managed realignment scheme completed in the UK covers 300 hectares and created new intertidal wildlife habitats, such as saltmarshes and mudflats which have had multiple societal benefits. The project was completed through the Environment Agency’s flood protection scheme in partnership with the RSPB.
The RSPB has identified 318 potential sites for coastal habitat creation and restoration in the UK (Sustainable Shores project). Realigning half of these potential sites and converting them to saltmarsh and mudflat by 2050, could sequester 2.69 million tonnes of CO2 by 2100. However, achieving this goal would require a significant increase in annual restoration levels from the current 45 hectares to 500 hectares per year. For more information about the RSPB’s work on protecting, creating and restoring intertidal habitats, visit our interactive storymap.
Coastal wetland habitats are immensely important for wildlife and people and implementing well designed nature-based solutions in coastal wetlands can play an important role in climate change adaptation whilst providing multiple societal benefits. The Green Zone event, ‘Coast to coast: nature-based solutions for climate, biodiversity and people – lessons learned and stories from the ground’ explores this topic in more detail with project representatives from the UK, China, South Korea and the Cayman Islands.
All you need to know
What could be better than starting your Sunday with some inspiring coastal stories? Get this date in your diary or set a reminder on YouTube and join us on the official COP26 YouTube channel from 10:30-12:00 on the 7th Nov. If you would like more information about the event in advance, or to learn more about the projects and partner organisations represented, please visit our event webpage.