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Stour and Orwell Estuary Management Group
Of the five Suffolk estuaries, the Stour and Orwell are subject to the most human pressure. The presence of the ports at Felixstowe, Harwich and Ipswich mean there is more commercial usage and development here than on the other Suffolk estuaries. Because of their proximity to Ipswich the estuaries are also popular for a wide range of recreational activities including walking, bird watching and sailing.
These pressures can adversely affect the estuaries’ internationally important wildlife and damage the habitats they depend on. The Stour and Orwell Estuaries Management Group was formed in the mid-1990s in response to these concerns.
The Estuaries Management Group now has more than 20 members, with representatives from business, local authorities, government agencies, conservation charities and local interest groups. Meetings are held on a regular basis, allowing views to be exchanged and relationships built, with the aim of conserving the long-term future of the estuaries, both for people and for wildlife.
As a result of the Estuaries Management Group, there is now a much greater understanding of each organisation's activities amongst the other Management Group members, and this has led to more constructive ways of working. In 1996, the Stour and Orwell Estuaries Group produced a non-statutory Management Plan. This contained a series of suggestions for actions by organisations and individuals with an interest in the estuaries in order to:
"Promote the sustainable use of the Stour and Orwell estuaries through the management of human activity, in a way which is compatible with the conservation of the estuarine ecosystem."
The EU Birds Directive, together with the EU Habitats Directive, were transposed into UK law in 1994 as the UK Conservation (Natural Habitats) Regulations (1994). Under the new regulations, the Stour and Orwell estuaries were designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) and, because the new SPA included areas that were intertidal or wholly marine, it was also termed a European Marine Site. Due to the complex task of caring for such areas, organisations listed as 'Relevant Authorities' (see below) were able to produce a Management Scheme to guide their functions and ensure compliance with the two EU Directives.
A Management Scheme is a statutory document, written with guidance from Government that sets out the responsibilities for managing the different elements of the European Marine Site as they are exercised by the Relevant Authorities. The Management Scheme for the Stour and Orwell was launched in 2003 after appropriate consultation with local users and the wider Estuary Management Group (Relevant Authorities plus other key organisations). It provides a framework within which the existing management responsibilities for the European Marine Site can be exercised in a way that safeguards the features (species and habitats) for which the estuaries have been designated.
Both the Scheme of Management and the Management Strategy have been reviewed and in February 2010 both were launched.
The Stour and Orwell Estuaries Management Strategy 2010 through 4 action plans seeks to promote the sustainable use of the
Annual Forums are held enabling members of the public (up to 100 people regularly attend) to discuss the Management Strategy and any other issues relating to the estuaries.
The details of the current Management Strategy and Scheme of Management 2010 are on the website also details of members of the Estuary Management Group and copies of minutes are also available as downloads.