Medmerry Nature Reserve

Europe's largest managed coastal realignment

The RSPB Medmerry reserve, to the west of Selsey, is one of the most significant coastal conservation projects in England and has rapidly become a major wildlife site. The reserve was created by the Medmerry managed coastal realignment scheme, completed in 2013, in which the Environment Agency breached the old sea wall and allowed the sea to flood approximately 183 hectares of low-lying farmland.

The scheme was designed to address two problems simultaneously. First, the old shingle sea wall was increasingly vulnerable to storm damage and was costing millions of pounds to maintain. Over 300 homes in Selsey were at risk of flooding if the wall failed. Second, the creation of new intertidal habitat would compensate for habitat losses elsewhere on the coast. The solution was to retreat the defence line inland, building a new earth embankment to protect the properties while allowing the sea to reclaim the farmland in front.

The result has been a transformation. Where there were once arable fields, there are now salt marsh, mudflats, lagoons and shingle banks. The wildlife colonisation has been rapid and impressive. Avocets bred at Medmerry within the first year of the scheme's completion, a significant milestone for a species that had been absent from Sussex as a breeding bird. Lapwings, ringed plovers, oystercatchers and little terns now breed on the site. Marsh harriers hunt across the reedbeds. Little egrets, herons and kingfishers are regular visitors. In winter, large flocks of waders and wildfowl use the lagoons and mudflats.

A circular walking and cycling path of approximately four miles runs around the perimeter of the reserve. The path is flat, surfaced and accessible, making it suitable for wheelchair users, pushchairs and casual walkers as well as serious birdwatchers. Several hides along the route provide shelter and viewing points overlooking the key areas of the reserve.

The Medmerry scheme has attracted national and international attention as a model for managed coastal retreat. As sea levels rise and coastal erosion intensifies, the principle of working with natural processes rather than fighting them is likely to become increasingly important. Medmerry demonstrates that managed realignment can simultaneously reduce flood risk, create valuable wildlife habitat and provide public amenity.

For Selsey residents, Medmerry is a daily resource. The circular path is popular with walkers, joggers, cyclists and dog walkers, and the reserve provides a green buffer between the town and the open coast to the west. The transformation from farmland to wildlife reserve has happened within a decade, and the site continues to develop and mature as the habitats establish themselves.