Marine Natural Capital – Cumbria

On the Cumbrian side of the Solway Firth, there has also been a recent project looking at the opportunities for marine and coastal natural capital development.

The project, which ran between November 2021 and March 2022, with funding from the Environment Agency’s Championing Coastal Coordination (3Cs) Fund and The Crown Estate, aims to better understand what natural capital assets exist on the Cumbrian Solway, where they are, their extent, and what condition they are in. Through understanding the state of our natural capital assets and how they benefit us, we can begin to value them, which is the first step required if we are to protect, enhance, expand or restore them. This scoping project has highlighted some of the existing knowledge on marine natural capital assets on the Cumbrian Solway, as well as data gaps and recommendations for future natural capital projects.

The project brought together people with an interest in the Solway’s marine and coastal environment to identify some of the important work already underway, such as the enhancement of saltmarsh and sand dune habitats, as well as highlighting how and why these habitats should be prioritised for future restoration.

The report produced by the project is now available. The project summary can be downloaded by clicking here or on the image below.  The full report is available here or by clicking on the image below.