Stronger Shores

Restoring and protecting our shores and seas

The Stronger Shores project brings together leading academics, Wildlife Trusts and other nature conservation non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to improve understanding of the costs and benefits of kelp, seagrass and native oyster habitats concerning coastal erosion, flood risk, climate change, biodiversity management and wider benefits.

The Stronger Shores project is a collaboration at its best, with leading academics and Wildlife Trusts and other nature conservation non-governmental organisations (NGOs) innovating together.

This project is designed to help us better understand the costs and benefits of restoring kelp, seagrass and native oyster habitats. These habitats can reduce coastal erosion and flood risk, and also pull carbon from the atmosphere, providing a nature-based solution for the climate and biodiversity crises. The project will provide a mechanism for incorporating these nature-based solutions into future coastline management strategies and work along our coasts.

What are we doing across the Tees Valley?

We are offering STEM workshops for Key Stages 2 and 3 to help young people learn more about marine habitats and coastal communities. We also offer a Shore Search programme and engagement talks.

Project partners and collaboration

Stronger Shores brings together the Durham, Northumberland and Tees Valley Wildlife Trusts, to deliver activities that will help communities understand the benefits of marine habitat restoration. These activities are linked to work by the partners on seagrass, kelp and oysters, and will be delivered by a Marine Engagement Officer hosted by Durham Wildlife Trust.

Hosted by South Tyneside Council, Stronger Shores stretches from Lindisfarne, down the North Sea coast to Skinningrove in Redcar and Cleveland.

It is one of the 25 pioneering projects funded by the Government’s Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme, which seeks to develop and test ground-breaking interventions to improve resilience to flood and coastal erosion risk

The Wildlife Trusts in the North East, including Tees Valley Wildlife Trust are leading seagrass re-introduction trials. The trials use an innovative new modular system pioneered by other Wildlife Trusts operating along the North Sea coast. 

The modules, loaded with seagrass seeds from the Wildlife Trusts’ seagrass nursery on Lindisfarne, will be inserted into mud and sand habitats in the intertidal zone at select locations along the North East coast. The sites selected are areas where seagrass was previously recorded and has been lost, or where environmental conditions appear to now be conducive for seagrass introduction.

You can find out more about the Stronger Shores project here.