A short film by DP World London Gateway provides insight into how the construction of Salt Fleet Flats and Stanford Wharf Nature Reserve has compensated for the potential loss of habitat predicted to occur during the development of DP World London Gateway Port.
The Ecology Consultancy’s Involvement
DP World London Gateway is a new deep-water port in the Thames Estuary with an associated logistics park, able to handle the largest container ships in the world.
The Ecology Consultancy has worked closely with DP World London Gateway, the developers and operators of the logistics hub for the past five years as project ecologists at the site, providing habitat enhancement and wildlife mitigation programmes that enabled the creation of 65 hectares of new intertidal habitat. The area, now known as Salt Fleet Flats, is providing a valuable feeding ground for populations of wintering birds that are of European importance. This includes such species as dunlin, black tailed godwit and the enigmatic avocet which have all been recorded using the new habitat in large numbers.
The majority of the work was required under Article 12 of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations as compensation for the disturbance of an area of intertidal habitat within the Thames Estuary and Marshes SPA as a result of the construction of the port.
Find out more about our bespoke mitigation and habitat enhancement programme here
