Essex Wildlife Trust – Willow Copse Saltmarsh

This project creates a rainwater pond and re-create 2 acres of saltmarsh (on land which is already owned by EWT) which is a National and Essex Biodiversity Action Plan habitat and it is home to a number of Biodiversity Action Plan species.
The creation of a rainwater fed pond will be achieved by excavating down into the clay beneath the sand. Scrub and sand removed will be piled against the slope behind and burnt or buried. The pond becomes brakish because so close to the estuary and might be overtopped in a very high tide. The re-creation of saltmarsh is important as a 4% loss of Essex saltmarsh in the last 25 years. The intention is to dig down to the mud that was covered by the washings (sand )from gravel pit operational days and the arisings will be placed along the toe of the existing slope from the high ground and placed over the scrub at the toe of the slope.
The complete saltmarsh is included in the EWT Management Plan and has support of English Nature