Hilary Crane Marine Lead Adviser

1. The Hamble Estuary’s Nature Conservation Sites - Natural England’s RoleThe Hamble Estuary Partnership3rd December 2013 Hilary Crane Marine Lead Adviser

2. Overview • Natural England’s purpose / role • The designated nature conservation sites of the River Hamble • Natural England’s work on the River Hamble • Site monitoring and management • Conservation Advice • Casework • Questions

3. Natural England’s Role “To protect and improve England’s natural environment and encourage people to enjoy and get involved in their surroundings.” • Non-departmental Public Body responsible to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. • We work with farmers, land owners, developers, planning authorities, harbour authorities, other regulatory agencies, scientists / researchers and the general public.

4. The River Hamble’s Designated Sites Solent Maritime SAC • Estuaries • Intertidal mudflats / sandflats • Saltmarsh • Subtidal sandbanks • Lagoons • Vegetated shingle • Sand dunes • Desmoulin’s whorl snail

5. The River Hamble’s Designated Sites Solent & Southampton Water SPA/Ramsar • Over-wintering birds – Brent Geese, Black-tailed Godwit, Teal and Ringed Plover • Breeding birds – Mediterranean Gull, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Roseate Tern and Little Tern • Waterfowl assemblage • Wetland habitats - lagoons, saltmarshes, estuaries, intertidal flats, shallow coastal waters, grazing marshes, reedbeds, coastal woodland and reefs • Assemblage of rare plants and invertebrates

6. The River Hamble’s Designated Sites Sites of Special Scientific Interest • Mudflats • Saltmarsh • Vegetated shingle • Ancient broad-leaved woodland - including rare Wild Service and Small-leaved Lime • Coastal grazing marsh • Reedbeds • Vegetated shingle • Heathland • Invertebrates - including Purple Emperor • Rare coastal plants • Over-wintering birds – Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Redshank, Curlew, Teal, Wigeon and Great Crested Grebe.

7. Natural England’s Work on the Hamble Site Monitoring SSSI condition assessments – Lincegrove & Hacketts Marshes 2013 • Unfavourable recovering – good range of saltmarsh species present including Carex extensa and Sarcocornia perennis, with transition to reedbed or sea couch at the landward edge. • Threats from diffuse water pollution and smothering from algal mats

8. Natural England’s Work on the Hamble Site Monitoring Solent Maritime SAC • Survey of subtidal communities in partnership with the Environment Agency • Estuary characterisation – • Tidal regime • Topography - physical form • Morphology – indicator for anthropogenic changes • EA’s saltmarsh and macroalgae tools for Water Framework Directive monitoring

9. Natural England’s Work on the Hamble Site Management • Stewardship agreements and advice to land owners • Solent Diffuse Water Pollution Plan – with EA • Catchment Sensitive Farming partnership project – capital grants targeting equine holdings in 2014/15 • Working with MMO and SIFCA on management of fisheries within European Marine Sites

10. Natural England’s Work on the Hamble Conservation Advice • Updating Favourable Condition Tables for SSSIs • Lincegrove & Hacketts Marshes; Upper Hamble Estuary and Woods finalised this summer – awaiting QA • Lee-on-the-Solent to Itchen Estuary – due next year • Updating our Conservation Advice for European Marine Sites • Solent Maritime SAC – by October 2014 • Solent and Southampton Water SPA/Ramsar – draft by April 2015

11. Natural England’s Work on the Hamble Casework • Natural England is a statutory consultee for many types of licenses and permissions. We provide our advice to the regulators who then determine the application taking account of the relevant nature conservation interests. • We also provide advice to land owners, developers and other agencies (e.g. Highways, Water companies) • Individual project assessment and in-combination (cumulative) effects

12. Questions?