Marine& Coastal Services
Adonis Environmental Consultants are supporting Kent Wildlife Trust and partners across the South East and nationally with approaches for Nature-based Solutions and biodiversity enhancement for our marine and coastal environment.
Meeting changes in ecology practice
In keeping with local, regional, national and international frameworks for biodiversity, sustainability and climate change, our staff offer sustainable solutions for development and nature’s recovery across the complex habitats and ecosystems in the marine, intertidal and coastal environments.
Utilising a strategic approach to coastal recovery is integral to our work, working to support development alongside nature recovery and benefits to the public across Kent. In the longer term, we aim to provide sustainable, ongoing management to create linked nature recovery networks across Kent and the South East, protecting and enhancing land for the benefit of biodiversity, public users, landowners, NGO’s and partners.
Our Team
Services:
- Nature-based Solutions for coastal land management, specialising in Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)
- Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA)
- Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA)
- Intertidal habitat and species surveys
- Advice and guidance on issues impacting the freshwater and marine environments.
- Geographic Information System (GIS), data management and charting services
- Coastal habitat creation and restoration feasibility studies
- Advice on all aspects of intertidal and coastal environment work
- Drone surveys
- Comprehensive scientific literature reviews and evaluation reports, backed by expertise in scientific report writing and publications
- Invasive species specialist advice and work
- Fisheries engagement
- Internship programmes
Our Vision
Biodiverse well-connected rivers, coasts and seas which are resilient, supporting ecosystem function and local communities.
Featured Projects
Ornithological Surveys and Biotope Mapping for Benfleet and Southend SPA
Benfleet and Southend Marshes Special Protected Area (SPA) is designated for its internationally and nationally important wintering populations of dark-bellied brent geese, grey plover, knot, ringed plover, and dunlin. The site comprises mudlflats, saltmarsh, pacific oyster reefs, eelgrass beds, and shingle habitats which support biodiverse marine invertebrate communities that provide vital feeding resource for wintering birds.
This project was undertaken by ABEC on behalf of Natural England to assess the abundance and distribution of the SPA designated features within the protected area. This data will be used to increase the quality of site condition assessments and enhance the local evidence base.
Tees Bay Dune System Management Plan
Situated at the mouth of the Tees Estuary, the Tees Bay sand dunes are one of the largest dune systems along the northeast coast of England, running from Seaton Carew to Marske-by-the-Sea. The Tees Bay dunes are situated in a complex area and are directly backed industry and residential properties. Despite this, the dunes are ecologically valuable, supporting internationally important breeding bird populations and nationally rare invertebrate assemblages, as examples.
Most of the priority sand dune habitat is contained within the Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). As a designed feature of the SSSI, the condition of the duneland habitat was recently assessed to be in unfavourable (declining) condition.
As such, ABEC were commissioned, on behalf of Natural England, to produce a 30-year management plan for the Tees Bay dune system, with the main aim of improving the condition of duneland habitat within that period.
Transforming the Thames
Transforming the Thames seeks to recover the degraded and fragmented seascape of the Greater Thames Estuary as a world-class coastal wetland for communities and wildlife. To achieve this, we are creating a coastal habitat restoration plan that will contribute towards securing a future in which the Thames Estuary is restored, reconnected and resilient; an outstanding coastal wetland for communities and wildlife.
This is a hugely collaborative project, with many partners, managed by Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and funded by the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme.
Our role is to lead the development of a sustainable finance strategy to address how habitat restoration will be funded across the Greater Thames Estuary. We are also conducting coastal habitat surveys to outline areas suitable for habitat creation and restoration.
Climate Resilient Coasts
Coastal wetland habitats, namely saltmarsh and coastal floodplain grazing marsh, play pivotal roles in fostering biodiversity and enhancing climate resiliency along estuarine seascapes. These habitats contribute significantly to the health of coastal ecosystems and provide ecosystem services.
Working in tandem with a private landowner and a cohort of supporting partners using their additional technical expertise, we aim to pilot restoring a regionally significant habitat (coastal floodplain grazing marsh) in the Swale estuary which can later be upscaled with private landowners in the whole of North Kent.
The proposal to restore coastal habitat in this area of the Swale provides a whole suite of nature-based solutions; carbon storage, natural flood management, and providing key habitat for a range of species in decline, including breeding and wintering waders
Coastal Explorer Internship
The Coast Explorer Internship Programme (CEIP) offers a unique opportunity for candidates interested in a career in the marine environment to gain skills, knowledge and experience relating to everything marine and coastal.
Adonis Blue manage the running of the Coast Explorer Internship Programme working closely with the The Crown Estate, Vattenfall and Canterbury City Council.
The Coast Explorer Internship Programme was developed in 2016 and has run every summer since. The internship runs from June through to December. For more information about when application are open, see the link below.
Kent Dolphin Project
Kent Dolphin Project is a collaboration between Sussex Dolphin Project and Adonis Blue Environmental Consultants, part of the Kent Wildlife Trust Group.
The ultimate objective is to identify individual dolphins/pods, in order to better understand their behaviour, movement, prey species and breeding sites. This data can then be used to protect our marine environment and ultimately safeguard cetaceans in Kent.
The project is currently operating a first phase of landwatch data gathering to establish a baseline of understanding about cetaceans in Kent waters.
To find out more visit our website
Case Studies
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Ornithological Surveys and Biotope Mapping for Benfleet and Southend SPA
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Sharks of Kent
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Tees Bay Dune System Management Plan
