Wilder Humber
Restoring Humber habitats and biodiversity
Wilder Humber is a five-year programme to restore marine habitats and species throughout the Humber estuary delivered through a pioneering conservation partnership between Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, and international green energy leader Ørsted.
Andy Jayes
Finn Varney
Wilder Humber Salt Marsh Survey, credit: Finn Varney
Bumbleebee on sea lavender, credit: Imogen Bentley
This flagship project will invest more than £2.5m to restore parts of the Humber on an ambitious scale not seen before through the planting of saltmarsh and seagrass, introducing half a million native oysters, and reconnecting sand dunes.
Seagrass has been planted on both the North and South Banks of the Humber, trialling a range of planting techniques at both sites. The seagrass that grows will provide vital shelter and a nursery ground for a variety of fish. At Spurn Point, oyster larvae have been settled onto discarded shells, and placed in the Humber to allow them to grow and develop. The release of 500,000 native oysters will enable biogenic reefs to form, in turn providing critical habitat for multiple species whilst also filtering and improving estuary water quality.
Wilder Humber also plans to grow and plant saltmarsh and sand dune species, to increase biodiversity, and support habitat connectivity. This will be achieved through our new bespoke nursery in Saltfleet, in combination with trialling the removal of dominant saltmarsh grasses, and invasive sand dune species.
If you’d like to volunteer at our new nursery, please visit the following page for more information:
