Medmerry Scheme Presented at IUCN Congress in Hawaii

The Environment Agency’s innovative flood defense scheme in Medmerry is being showcased at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawaii.

As well as being presented as a case study for nature-based solutions, the multi-award winning scheme has also been selected to form part of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2016 report.

James Humphrys, Environment Agency Area Manager, said: “I am delighted to see Medmerry forming part of the IUCN’s report. Schemes such as this protect people and property from flooding, as well as creating large scale, good quality habitat for the benefit of numerous wildlife species.”

Completed in November 2013 and delivered by Team Van Oord on behalf of the Environment Agency, the Medmerry Managed Realignment Scheme includes the largest managed realignment of open coast in the UK.

The scheme involved the construction of four miles of new sea walls to significantly reduce the flood risk to the West Sussex coast.

Medmerry also created a new wetland for local wildlife with 183 hectares of intertidal coastal habitat for wading birds and potentially endangered species, including the water vole. Much of the site is now managed by the RSPB as a nature reserve.

Since its completion (November 2013) Medmerry has won the following awards:

1. APM Project Manager of the year – highly commended;
2. BCI Project of the Year 2014 – winner;
3. Prime Ministers Award (nominated by BCI) – winner;
4. CIEEM Practical Conservation – winner;
5. CIEEM Stakeholder Engagement – winner;
6. CIEEM Tony Bradshaw Special Award – winner;
7. CIPR Pride 2012 and 2014 Community Relations Campaign Silver Awards;
8. Considerate Constructor – silver;
9. Constructing Excellence Innovation – winner;
10. Constructing Excellence Sustainability – highly commended;
11. Green Apple Sustainability – bronze;
12. ICE SE Engineering Excellence – winner;
13. IBP PR and Communications Integrated Project of the Year 2014 – winner;
14. Environment Agency Project Excellence Sustainable Resource Manager – winner;
15. RICS Infrastructure – winner;
16. RICS Design through Innovation – winner;
17. RICS – Project of the Year – winner.

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