Natural England - Marine monitoring programme
Marine monitoring programme
Our core marine programme focuses on designating, monitoring and managing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), as well as delivering our work on wider marine biodiversity. We work in partnership with JNCC, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs).
Advice/Delivery
| ID | Title | Description | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| RP0566 | Technical advice provision from CEFAS | Call-off technical advice from Centre for Environmental Fisheries and Aquatic Science .
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £12,894.00 | Jen Ashworth |
Monitoring
| ID | Title | Description | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| RP0113 | Marine turtle monitoring | Collates and maintains a database of records of marine turtles in British waters. The data is uploaded to the National Biodiversity Network Gateway. A report on the records and trends will be disseminated to a wide range of interested organisations and people. Co-funded with Countryside Council for Wales and Scottish Natural Heritage.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £5,200.00 | Paul Edgar |
| RP0559 | New N2K baseline monitoring - Haisborough Hammond & Winterton sandbanks | Component of a larger project being undertaken jointly with JNCC and Cefas to obtain baseline phyical and ecological data for Haisborough Hammond & Winterton cSAC and Inner Dowsing, North Ridge and Race Bank cSAC. This component focuses on obtaining further accoustic data covering toes / flanks of banks plus ground truthing in the form of biological sampling.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £50,000.00 | Chris Pirie |
| RP0560 | New N2K baseline monitoring - Haisborough Hammond & Winterton, Sabellaria spinulosa reef. | Component of a larger project being undertaken jointly with JNCC and Cefas to obtain baseline phyical and ecological data for Haisborough Hammond & Winterton cSAC and Inner Dowsing, North Ridge and Race Bank cSAC. This component focuses on obtaining further accoustic data for areas of biogenic Sabellaria reef within Haisborough Hammond and Winterton cSAC plus ground truthing in the form of video and still pictures and limited biological sampling.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £60,000.00 | Chris Pirie |
| RP0561 | New N2K baseline monitoring - Inner Dowsing & Race Bank - Sandbanks. | Component of a larger project being undertaken jointly with JNCC and Cefas to obtain baseline phyical and ecological data for Haisborough Hammond & Winterton cSAC and Inner Dowsing, North Ridge and Race Bank cSAC. This component focuses on obtaining further accoustic data for Sandbanks within Inner Dowsing and Race bank cSAC plus ground truthing in the form of biological sampling.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £50,000.00 | Chris Pirie |
| RP0562 | New N2K baseline monitoring - Inner Dowsing & Race Bank, Sabellaria spinulosa reef. | Component of a larger project being undertaken jointly with JNCC and Cefas to obtain baseline phyical and ecological data for Haisborough Hammond & Winterton cSAC and Inner Dowsing, North Ridge and Race Bank cSAC. This component focuses on obtaining further accoustic data for areas of biogenic Sabellaria reef within Inner Dowsing, North Ridge and Race Bank cSAC plus ground truthing in the form of video and still pictures and limited biological sampling.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £30,000.00 | Chris Pirie |
| RP0563 | New N2K baseline monitoring: Shellflat sandbanks | This project is a 12 day boat based bathymetric survey, using multibeam sonar. The purpose of the survey is to obtain a high resolution physical baseline map detailing the topography of the sand bank. The data will provide the key dataset for identifying the locations of physical sample sites and will be essential if we are to monitor the physical and ecological evolution of the site. The survey is required as the Special Area of Conservation has never been surveyed, and current charted bathymetry over the site is an amalgamation of a number of coarse historic datasets.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £59,000.00 | Mark Johnston |
| RP0564 | Ongoing N2K condition assessment - MARCLIM rocky shore features | Delivery of MarClim project for England. This is a UK wide project lead by the Marine Biological Association . Rocky shore species which have been chosen as suitable indicators of climate change are surveyed at a number of locations accross England and the UK.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £28,000.00 | Robert Enever |
| RP0565 | Operational monitoring - MCCIP - annual report card | Operational monitoring - Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership annual report card .
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £10,000.00 | Robert Enever |
| RP0580 | Intertidal SSSI Monitoring - Morecambe Bay: | Intertidal SSSI Monitoring - Morecambe Bay: several elements to package - estuaries, shallow inlet & bays, intertidal mud & sand flats, upper, middle & pioneer saltmarsh.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £60,000.00 | Joe Green |
| RP0581 | Ongoing N2K condition assessment - Humber - Lamprey. | Ongoing N2K condition assessment - Humber - Lamprey. Based on regions investigations and partnership apporach with EA.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £15,000.00 | Fiona Neale |
| RP0582 | Ongoing N2K condition assessment - Berwickshire and Northumberland: | Ongoing N2K condition assessment - Berwickshire and Northumberland: Reefs via dive surveys.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £60,000.00 | Catherine Scott |
| RP0583 | Ongoing N2K condition assessment - Flamborough Head: | Ongoing N2K condition assessment - Flamborough Head: side-scan sonar project - habitat mapping of SAC.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £40,000.00 | Mike Quigley |
| RP0584 | Operational monitoring - Flamborough: Baseline monitoring of the effectiveness of the no take zone | Operational monitoring - Flamborough: Baseline monitoring of the effectiveness of the no take zone.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £15,000.00 | Mike Quigley |
| RP0585 | Operational monitoring - Filey Bay: | Operational monitoring - Filey Bay: auk bycatch - Monitoring for review of net limitation due in 2 years in partnership with Environment Agency.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £10,000.00 | Mike Quigley |
| RP0586 | The Wash: Large Shallow Inlet and Bay baseline monitoring Survey | The Wash: Large Shallow Inlet and Bay baseline monitoring survey to contribute to baseline data sets for condition of the Annex I Large Shallow Inlet and Bay and Annex 1 features in order to provide a robust baseline for future monitoring of feature condition within The Wash and North Norfolk Coast SAC. The hard subtidal substrate sub features of The Wash and North Norfolk Coast SAC Large Shallow Inlet and Bay are (i) subtidal boulder and cobble communities; and (ii) Sabellaria spinulosa reefs.
| Tom Manning |
| RP0587 | Ongoing N2K condition assessment - Solent: Estuaries and subtidal sandbanks. | Ongoing N2K condition assessment - Solent: Estuaries and subtidal sandbanks. To be done in partnership with Environment Agency.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £40,000.00 | Dylan Todd |
| RP0588 | Operational monitoring Thanet Reefs: kelp dominated communities on animal-bored rock | Operational monitoring Thanet Reefs: kelp dominated communities on animal-bored rock.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £28,000.00 | Rachel Williams |
| RP0589 | Operational monitoring - Outer Thames Estuary: assess impact of netting on red-throated diver | Operational monitoring - Outer Thames Estuary: assess impact of netting on red-throated diver.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £20,000.00 | Audrey Jones |
| RP0590 | Operational monitoring - Thanet pacific oyster monitoring | Operational monitoring - Thanet monitoring non-native invasive Pacific oysters.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £2,000.00 | Ingrid Chudleigh |
| RP0591 | Intertidal SSSI Monitoring - Solent: intertidal mud and sand flats | Intertidal Site of Special Scientific Interest Monitoring - Solent: intertidal mud and sand flats.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £75,000.00 | Dylan Todd |
| RP0593 | Intertidal SSSI Monitoring - Solent: Cordgrass swards | Intertidal Site of Special Scientific Interest Monitoring - Solent: cordgrass swards.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £6,000.00 | Graham Weaver |
| RP0594 | Intertidal SSSI Monitoring - South Wight: Rocky shores. | Intertidal Site of Special Scientific Interest Monitoring - South Wight: Rocky shores.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £10,000.00 | Rachel Williams |
| RP0595 | Intertidal SSSI Monitoring: Thanet reef and sea caves | Intertidal Site of Special Scientific Interest Monitoring - Thanet reef and sea caves: chalk communities.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £10,000.00 | Rachel Williams |
| RP0596 | Intertidal SSSI Monitoring - Essex estuaries: intertidal mud & sand flats and mud communities | Intertidal SSSI Monitoring - Essex estuaries: intertidal mud & sand flats and mud communities.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £30,000.00 | Conor Donnelly |
| RP0597 | The Wash & Norfolk: common seal ongoing N2K condition assessment | Ongoing N2K condition assessment. The Wash contains the largest population of harbour (common) seals in England, holding some 10% of the total UK population. The intertidal mud and sand flats in the Wash provide ideal conditions for breeding and haul-out sites and the subtidal sandbanks provide important feeding areas for the seals during the summer breeding and moulting season when the. The seals are one of the features of the Wash and North Norfolk Coast SAC for which the site was designated. Annual surveys of the common seal population in The Wash are undertaken by the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) at the University of St Andrews.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £6,000.00 | Claire Ludgate |
| RP0598 | Ongoing N2K condition assessment - The Wash & Norfolk: subtidal sandbanks. | Ongoing N2K condition assessment - The Wash & Norfolk: subtidal sandbanks.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £30,000.00 | Claire Ludgate |
| RP0599 | The Greater Wash: understanding direct physical and indirect impacts of the pink shrimp fishery on reef and wider biodiversity | The aim of this project is to undertake a survey of the physical and some biological impacts of shrimp fishing on Sabellaria spinulosa reef and associated biodiversity in the Wash and North Norfolk SAC, Inner Dowsing Race Bank North Ridge SAC and surrounding areas. This will improve and update the evidence used by Natural England to provide statutory advice to the managing authorities as to the effects, and or impacts, of shrimp fishing on S. spinulosa reef. Joint project with the Marine Management Organisation .
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £50,000.00 | Charlotte Johnson |
| RP0600 | Operational monitoring - The Greater Wash: environmental impacts of suction dredge fishery | Following a cockle handwork monitoring study carried out in the summer of 2010 the EIFCA, in partnership with Natural England and Cefas, will carry out an impact, control and recovery rate study, focusing on investigating direct impacts of suction dredging for cockles in the Wash. This will look at the direct physical impacts and any changes in the sediment and associated benthos by comparing fished and non-fished (control) sites areas, as well as the time taken for recovery where appropriate. This study will build on the report made into cockle suction dredging in the Wash published in 2007.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £30,000.00 | Charlotte Johnson |
| RP0604 | Operational monitoring - Suffolk Coast: disturbance study | Operational monitoring - Suffolk Coast: disturbance study - Natural England are contributing to this project.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £5,000.00 | Emma Hay |
| RP0609 | Condition Monitoring of the Intertidal Mudflats and Sandflats Feature of the Fal & Helford SAC | The main aim of the study is to provide standardised faunal and infaunal information for the littoral sediment habitats and communities of the Fal & Helford Estuary, across a series of sampling areas. The main sediment types and their associated communities (biotopes) will be mapped within these areas. The work will be carried out in accordance with the marine CSM guidance for littoral sediment. The field methods used will follow the techniques described in the marine monitoring handbook (especially procedural guidelines 1-1, 3-1 and 3-6) and current Environment Agency procedures used for the Water Framework Directive.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £25,541.00 | Helena Towers |
| RP0611 | Investigation into disturbance effects on waders and wildfowl at low and high tides in Poole Harbour | A study of disturbance from human recreational and other activities in the Harbour. The study took place at thirteen different locations around the Harbour. Visits included both high and low tide counts during both the day and night.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £29,500.00 | Susan Burton |
| RP0612 | The effect of algal mats on waterfowl foraging behaviour in Poole Harbour | The study will take place between October and end of February to assess the impact of algal cover on bird foraging behaviour. The study will clearly assess whether birds are avoiding areas where there are higher densities of algae and whether their behaviour is being affected. The focus of the study will be in the area south of Brownsea Island and part of Brands Bay which birds appear to be under utilising in relation to the prey items found in the area.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £25,000.00 | Susan Burton |
| RP0644 | Shore Thing Project | The www.marlin.ac.uk/shore_thing|Shore Thing Project aims to generate records of marine wildlife by facilitating intertidal biological surveys at sites around the British Isles, and to make the results available to all on the Internet. It encourages students and local communities to monitor their local rocky shore for climate change and non-native species. The Shore Thing Project follows on from the UK Marine Biodiversity and Climate Change Programme (MarClim) run by the MBA and supported by Natural England.
| Chris Pirie |
Research
| ID | Title | Description | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| RP0286 | Marine connectivity: analysis of keystone species within the British Isles (PhD) | To assess connectivity in marine ecosystems, in particular, the connectivity between populations of sessile marine invertebrates (ie marine invertebrates that are attached to something at the bottom of the sea so cannot move around, eg sponges, anemones and oysters) over a range of geographical scales. Connectivity assessed by measuring genetic relatedness between populations. Natural England-funded PhD student: Lyndsey Holland, Exeter University.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £12,280.00 | Jen Ashworth |
| RP0568 | Is there potential for more joined up marine monitoring and data collection between statutory nature conservation agencies and industry? | The project aims to find ways that Statutory Nature Conservation Agencies (SNCA) and industry might better join up their monitoring. There are three stages to the project. Stage one will collate data, talk to stakeholders and identify areas of overlap, conflict and constraints. The second stage will develop a series of case studies to highlight scenarios. In the final stage a workshop will bring together stakeholders and develop a protocol that highlights ways in which success can be achieved as well as signposting major barriers, and discuss ways to remove them. The project will show that SNCAs are keen to work closely with developers.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £25,000.00 | James Bussell |
| RP0569 | Predicting recovery in intertidal soft sediment environments | Natural England is required to provide advice on suitable mitigation to reduce likely significant environmental effects from development. In soft sediment habitats we often advise that minimising the footprint is the best way to do this. However, depending on the sensitivity and recoverability of different sediments, and the intensity of impact, minimising the footprint might not always be the best approach. This project will review, appraise and sythesise the avialble evidence on this topic and highlight where we can give clear advice and where we are more uncertain.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £15,000.00 | James Bussell |
| RP0574 | Review of the impacts and monitoring requirements for tidal stream energy in sensitive habitats | Wave and tidal energy will be an increasingly important source of renewable energy in England. The number of curent projects is fairly small and limited to demonstartion sites. However, large commercial scale arrays are a real possibility. Natural England is using this time to proactively review the current evidence of impacts from wave and tide deployment, predict where this might be an issue in England, and develop a tool kit for staff to use in early enagement with this emerging sector.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £15,000.00 | James Bussell |
| RP0575 | Biosecurity in marine and freshwater environments | Invasive alien species are considered one of the greatest threats to biodiversity globally and have a major economic impact. We have a limited understanding of good biosecurity within the aquatic environment. This scoping study will review the evidence underpinning national and international advice on biosecurity in the marine and freshwater aquatic environment and provide evidence-based advice on what biosecurity measures should be employed to minimise the risk posed by non-native species and diseases, such as crayfish plague, which are transmitted by non-native species. Partnership with Defra
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £5,000.00 | James Bussell |
| RP0576 | Climate change risks in the marine environment | Understanding the vulnerability of our marine habitats and species to climate change is important in terms of informing action to improve resilience, better target our monitoring, inputting to work assessing projected impacts on habitats and raising awareness of the potential scope of habitats impacts. To date, there has been a range of reviews, and research projects that evaluate vulnerability of terrestrial landscapes, there is a paucity of information on the vulnerability of marine communities and a gap in terms of an approach to vulnerability assessment. This current work aims to fill that knowledge gap.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £15,000.00 | Robert Enever |
