Partnerships

We work in partnership with many organisations around us. This can be in the form of funded joint projects, having a place on partnership meeting groups or simply coordinating activities with other organisations. You will be able to see this partnership approach throughout our work and this website. Below are descriptions and links to several partnerships.

Sussex Heritage Coast Partnership
Wild Coast Sussex
Biosphere / Living Coast
© Sussex Seasearch, Georgia Connolly
Fish-Intel
Sussex Kelp Recovery Project
© Dan Smale
Sussex Marine and Coastal Forum
© Sussex Seasearch, Gerald Legg
CHaPRoN steering group
Three Harbours steering and technical working groups
IFCA Technical Advisory Group
Solent Forum
Solent European Marine Site Natural Environment Group
© RSPB
Crustacean Habitat and Sediment Movement (CHaSM)
© Mark Coombes
Whelk Working group
Solent Oyster Restoration Working Group
Elasmobranch network
Rampion Expert Topic Group
Sussex Bay Fish Brand Project
© Sussex Seasearch, Georgia Connolly
Restoring Estuarine & Coastal Habitats (REACH) and Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe)
Natural Capital Ecosystem Assessment Programme
© Sussex Seasearch, Gerald Legg

Sussex Heritage Coast Partnership

The Sussex Heritage Coast Partnership was set out to protect and conserve the best stretches of undeveloped coast in England. A joint strategy and action plan has been produced to establish how the area will be managed for wildlife, landscape, tourism, recreation, heritage and the local community.

Sussex Heritage Coast Partnership

Wild Coast Sussex

The Wild Coast Sussex project will inspire Sussex communities to care for the marine environment and enable them to protect their local coast and sea. The project involves working with primary schools, young people (aged 12-25) and commercial fishermen, as well as the wider community and general public and take them on a journey to make a positive difference.

Wild Coast Sussex Go Explore Leaflet

Biosphere/Living Coast

The Living Coast Partnership supports and delivers projects across the region, spanning nature conservation, suitable socio-economic development and environmental awareness. The living coast site stretches between Newhaven and Shoreham-by-Sea in Sussex.

Biosphere/Living Coast

Fish Intel

Led by the University of Plymouth, FISH INTEL uses cutting edge technology to monitor key fish species and understand how they use different ecosystems within UK, French and Belgian seas. By tracking fish movements and studying their habitats, FISH INTEL hope to build a comprehensive picture that will inform commercial fishing policies and help marine life to thrive.

Fish Intel

Sussex Kelp Recovery Project (SKRP)

The Sussex Kelp Recovery Project’s vision is to champion, study and facilitate the restoration of Sussex kelp to support a thriving and sustainable ecosystem. One of the project aims to understand the ecological, social and economic value of kelp and the impact of the Sussex IFCA Nearshore Trawling Byelaw. The Sussex IFCA acts as one of the collaborating organisations as a part of the SKRP.

Sussex Kelp Recovery Page UK Kelp Recovery Report

Sussex Marine and Coastal Forum (SMACF)

The Sussex Marine and Coastal Forum is a multi-sector partnership bringing together stakeholders to work together to deliver environmental, economic and social benefits for marine and coastal ecosystems and communities in Sussex.

Chichester Harbour Protection and Recovery of Nature (CHaPRoN) steering group

In response to the decline of coastal habitats around the Chichester Harbour area, CHaPRoN was developed, with the aim to protect, enhance and drive recovery of the natural environment within the Harbour and help it adapt to climate change. The Sussex IFCA sits on the steering groups for CHaPRoN, and acts as a partner in their four focus areas for nature recovery (Saltmarsh, Seagrass, Coastal Birds and Water Quality).

CHaPRoN

Three Harbours Summit

One of the initiatives of the Three Harbours Summit is to develop a natural capital baseline for the Harbours (Langstone, Chichester and Pagham) and their catchments. Southern Water commissioned this work through Natural Capital Research Ltd and established a technical steering group to help inform the work. The Sussex IFCA acts as one of the members in this partnership.

IFCA Technical Advisory Group

The IFCAs Technical Advisory Group (TAG) promotes and facilitates communication, collaboration and coordination between IFCAs and other government organisations in relation to fisheries research and marine science. The group meets three times a year.

IFCA Technical Advisory Group

Solent Forum

The Solent Forum is an independent coastal partnership, established in 1992 to develop a greater understanding among the many local and harbour authorities, user groups, marine businesses and agencies involved in planning and management of the Solent. The forum has over 50 members including the Sussex IFCA.

The Solent Forum has worked alongside the Dorset Coast Forum and Isle of Wight Estuaries Partnership, to produce the 3 C's Handbook for the Environmental Agency. This was funded by the Coordinating Coastal Communities Project (3Cs), and is a component of a larger project bid from the national Coastal Partnership Network (CPN). It aims to showcase the work of these coastal partnerships to government agencies and wider coastal stakeholders.

Solent Forum   3Cs Handbook

Solent European Marine Site Natural Environment Group

The Natural Environment Group (NEG) was set up in 2004 and takes forward issues and actions identified by the annual monitoring scheme for the Solent Marine Sites Management Scheme.  It is a subsidiary group of the overall SEMS Management Group and reports to that group. The primary aim of the Natural Environment Group is to provide a cost-effective mechanism to coordinate the implementation of cross-cutting nature conservation actions stemming from the many overlapping statutory and non-statutory documents.

Solent EMS Natural Environment Group

Crustacean Habitat and Sediment Movement (CHASM)

The Crustaceans, Habitat and Sediment Movement (CHASM) project was developed to better understand the factors affecting the decline of crab and lobster catch noted by the Selsey fishing industry along the coasts of Selsey and Bracklesham Bay. In particular, this project focuses on investigating potential impacts from increased sedimentation and pollutants throughout historical crab and lobster fishing grounds within Sussex.

CHASM

Whelk working group

The Whelk Working Group (WWG) was formed in February 2019 to facilitate the exchange of information relating to the common whelk (Buccinum undatum) between Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs), other government agencies, fisheries authorities, academics, researchers, and others interested in whelk fisheries.

Solent Oyster Restoration Working Group

The Solent Oyster Restoration Project is a Blue Marine Foundation lead project, which focuses on restoring native oyster populations throughout Solent sites. Their aim is to create a healthy, self-sustaining population of native oysters in the Solent and demonstrate the benefits to both people and nature. Sussex IFCA sits on the Solent Oyster Restoration Working Group and offers support where possible.

Solent Oyster Restoration

Elasmobranch Network

In July 2018 Sussex IFCA hosted a conference-style event, held at the University of Brighton, where people from various organisations were invited to present their research on elasmobranch species. The day also featured a discussion section and a small workshop highlighting data gaps in elasmobranch research that could potentially be filled. From this event it was established that contact should be maintained between all attendees and the group expanded to encompass all research conducting organisations, and any others with an interest in elasmobranch species.

Rampion Expert Topic Group

As part of the Evidence Plan process, Expert Topic Groups (ETGs) have been established for each topic area with experts from relevant organisations, in order to agree and discuss the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) evidence requirements included within the Plan

Sussex Bay Fish Brand Project

Adur and Worthing Councils are exploring the possibility of establishing a local seafood brand to be used in promoting the benefits of local inshore seafood, and strengthen sales prices to fishermen and seafood traders and others along the supply chain. This forms a part of a wider “Sussex Bay” initiative that focuses on the restoration of Sussex marine and coastal habitats, with pathfinder projects in restoration of the west Sussex kelp beds, and coastal saltmarsh and wetland.

Restoring Estuarine and Coastal Habitats (REACH) and Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe)

Restoring Estuaries and Coastal Habitats is a habitat restoration initiative which aims to reverse centuries of decline of estuarine and coastal habitats by restoring saltmarsh, seagrass meadows, oysters, and kelp beds. The project brings together international experts from the UK, Overseas Territories, the North Sea and Irish Sea borders.

Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe) is a habitat restoration initiative within REACH which aims to address baseline shifts and reverse centuries of decline specifically across seagrass meadows, saltmarshes and European native oyster reefs.

Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef

Natural Capital Ecosystem Assessment Programme (NCEA)

Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) is a science innovation and transformation programme, which spans across land and water environments. It has been set up to collect data on the extent, condition and change over time of England’s ecosystems and natural capital, and the benefits to society.

Natural Capital & Ecosystem Assessment Programme

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