Tyne Saltmarsh Restoration Begins at Newburn Riverside
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- Groundwork North East and Cumbria has started work to restore saltmarshes along Newburn Riverside on the Tyne in Newcastle.
- The charity said the project would improve water quality and biodiversity while helping tackle climate change.
- More than 85% of the UK's saltmarsh habitat has been lost through centuries of industrialization that stripped muddy banks and altered the river's flow and speed.
- The project is jointly funded by the Environment Agency and NatWest Group.
- Hellen Hornby, the charity's nature-based solutions lead, said confidence in the site comes from prior saltmarsh restoration successes in the region.
- Habitat will be created by installing low barriers of sticks and similar materials near the shoreline to trap mud and encourage plants to grow.
Why it matters: With more than 85% of UK saltmarsh already erased by industrial activity, the Newburn project adds a small but concrete habitat gain — backed by the Environment Agency and NatWest — that aims to lift biodiversity, water quality, and carbon storage along a heavily modified urban stretch of the Tyne.
