Coastal Wetland restoration in the UK and France
In a joint project between the EU programme Interreg FCE and the Environment Agency, Project PACCo (Promoting Adaptation to Changing Coasts) will restore 100 hectares of coastal wetland at two pilot sites – the Otter Estuary in Devon (UK) and Saane Valley in Normandy (France). The restoration of this land will enable better management of flooding, absorb carbon, and provide benefits for people and wildlife.
Estuarine and coastal change over the last 300 years has been significant, mainly due to human activity including coastal flood defenses. At the UK site, the works will include creating mudflats and saltmarsh, moving a road to protect a disused landfill site from erosion, and relocating a cricket club. Works at the French site include increasing connectivity between the river and its floodplain, moving a campsite and building a new water treatment plant to prevent contamination and improve the water quality at two beaches.
Developed as part of the project, the PACCo model, which features new solutions for more natural and effective management of heavily modified estuaries, could be replicated at 70 other sites in the France-Channel-England (FCE) area.
Interreg FCE is an EU programme set up to foster economic development in the south of the UK and north of France by funding innovative projects which have a sustainable cross-border benefit in the Programme’s eligible regions.
You can find out more about the PACCo project and anticipated outcomes on the Interreg PACCo webpage.
