Natural Resources Wales are undertaking a pilot saltmarsh restoration project at Rhymney Great Wharf, through a Welsh Government funded Nature Networks programme (2022-2025) which aims to increase biodiversity and resilience of habitats and species in Wales.
The construction uses a polder design which encourages the establishment of saltmarsh habitat by creating fencing made of chestnut posts and brushwood bundles. These structures, extending over 2km along the foreshore, slow the movement of the tide as it recedes, allowing sediment to be deposited within the polder fields. Over time, sediment builds up and turns into saltmarsh. This will help restore the important saltmarsh habitat of the Severn Estuary, supporting local wildlife and helping to trap carbon. This nature-based solution could also help to enhance the existing flood defences and reduce future flood risk by reducing pressure from erosion. In this talk, we will discuss how the project has been developed in light of difficult, highly dynamic conditions of the Severn Estuary, the monitoring and research to date and the scope for future research opportunities following construction.
About the Speakers
Dr Lily Pauls | Natural Resources Wales
Dr Lily Pauls is the team leader of the Marine Projects team at NRW and oversees the Welsh Government funded Nature Networks marine programme. She joined NRW/CCW in 2011 as a marine conservation officer covering South-West Wales but since 2022 has focused on the delivery of a series of projects which aim to improve marine protected areas in Wales.
Dr Iain Fairley | Natural Resources Wales
Dr Iain Fairley is a specialist in marine and coastal physical processes. He joined NRW in January 2023 in an advisory role and has contributed to the Rumney Great Wharf polders project with input on morphodynamic aspects of the plans. Iain has experience in measurement, modelling and analysis of a wide range of coastal and marine physical processes gained through over a decade of post-doctoral research prior to joining NRW.
