England – Human-made wetlands

In response to the erosion and habitat loss along the Crouch and Roach estuaries of England due to port construction and other developments, in 2006 the Wallasea island project recycled sediments from its salt marshes to build an integrated flood protection system. This system was allowed to flood, letting its mudflats and salt marshes evolve naturally with the water cycle, and around 514 hectares of wetland was restored. It is now the largest human-made wetland in Europe, a habitat and breeding ground for birds. An additional 269 hectares to be added by 2025.

This case study features in the WEAll Briefing paper “Water in a Wellbeing Economy” – find out more and read the whole paper here.