RDE725 Water Quality in the Lincolnshire Coast and Marine Priority Place

Natural England has established a series of priority places across the country in which to deliver targeted and ambitious gains for nature recovery. The Lincolnshire Coast and Marine Priority Place (Figure 1) is one of the largest, encompassing an area of land and sea that totals more than 3000km2 and offers huge potential for nature's recovery in the East Midlands.

The Wash is central to the priority place and is a crucial link between terrestrial and offshore marine habitats. The Wash itself contains a mosaic of designated habitats, including vast areas of saltmarsh and intertidal flats, leading to a subtidal expanse of offshore sandbanks and reefs. Furthermore, both coastal and marine areas support internationally important populations of birds, seals, and harbour porpoise.

However, there is currently a lot of pressure on habitats and species within the site from recreational activities, infrastructure development, intensive agriculture, fisheries etc. and Natural England are working to better understand: 1. how these pressures are impacting natural resources and 2. what can be done to relieve these pressures to promote nature recovery.

Water Quality has been identified as a significant issue for the priority place, negatively impacting species, habitats and protected sites and hindering natural processes. Improving water quality will therefore be a necessary step in the nature recovery process. As a starting point, Natural England are commissioning this desk-based study to review existing evidence for water quality in the Lincolnshire Coast and Marine Priority Place.