Essex Marshes Casestudy

• Essex has one of the lowest-lying coastal landscapes in Britain, which is mostly saltmarshes.

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• Sea-levels rising make defence and conservation of the coastline urgent.

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• This is because saltmarshes support wildlife, but they can act as buffer and protect the inland area.

• Coastal realignment allows for managed retreat and surrenders parts of the coast, so it will act as a natural buffer, however this is controversial.

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• It is controversial because farming land will be lost to the sea, which was once protected by the old sea wall.

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• Along the Essex coast, the sea level is rising 6mm per year.

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• It has been estimated that 40% of Essex saltmarshes has been lost to the sea over the past 25 years.

• One solution being employed in Essex is managed coastal retreat, this is a form of soft engineering.

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• The first experiment for managed retreat is at Northey Island in the upper Blackwater Estuary.

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• New sea defences have been built 75 metres inland from the previously damaged sea wall.

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• These defences were built in 1991, this cost £22,000, this has allowed more saltmarshes to develop further inland.

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• This scheme was better because repairing the old sea wall would have cost between £30,000 and £55,000.