2013 Tweed Estuary SAC Intertidal Biotope Survey APEM 412957
Description
APEM was commissioned by Natural England (NE) to conduct an intertidal survey of the sand and mudflat notable features within the Tweed Estuary Special Area of Conservation (SAC) (Figure 1). In addition, the work included the assessment of intertidal communities through the incorporation and interpretation of quantitative Phase II survey data from previous surveys.
The Tweed Estuary is a long narrow estuary which discharges into the North Sea at Berwick-Upon-Tweed and the SAC extends from an upstream limit at Whiteadder Point to the estuary mouth. A variety of littoral habitats are present in the estuary, for example at the estuary mouth there are expanses of sand and shingle on the south bank and areas of rocky habitat, mud and sandflats on the north bank, and moving further upstream there are areas of rocky and mixed substrate habitat and mud/sandflats. This includes Yarrow Slake, a mudflat located within an inlet in the upper-mid estuary which is separated from the main river channel at low tide by an expanse of gravel/shingle.
The primary reason for selection of the Tweed Estuary as a SAC is the presence of the following two qualifying features: Estuaries (H1130) and Mudflats and sandflats not covered by seawater at low tide (H1140). Consequently, monitoring of the status of these habitats is a requirement of ongoing monitoring of the Tweed Estuary SAC and to assess the contribution of the SAC to achieving favourable conservation status for those features.
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