February 2010 saw the completion of the South Coast Regional Environmental Characterisation study, an eighteen month research programme aimed at characterising the geological, biological and archaeological resources off the South Coast of Britain.  Bryony Pearce, Research Director of Marine Ecological Surveys Limited, presented the biological findings of this study at a project dissemination meeting held at the Southampton Solent University Conference Centre on February 10th 2010.  The conference was well attended with 52 delegates including government representatives, academics, consultants and developers.

The South Coat REC study is part of a wider research programme funded by the Marine Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund (MALSF) which is designed to complement the industry led Regional Environmental Assessment (REA) initiatives, as well as to provide comprehensive regional geophysical and environmental data which are available for a wide variety of stakeholders. Following the successful completion of the English Channel Marine Habitat Map in 2007, a further four areas; the Thames Estuary, South Coast, Outer Humber and East Coast were identified as areas requiring targeted resource characterisation, because of their strategic importance to the marine aggregate extraction industry.

Aggregate extraction has been taking place in the south coast region for over a decade as have disposal activities, commercial fishing and shipping activities.  The region is also soon to be the site of a round 3 wind farm development.  The outputs of this important research programme will help manage these often conflicting uses of the marine environment by providing a basis for the Marine Plans which will be developed under the new Marine Act as well as aiding the identification of resources of particular conservation significance.

The South Coast REC study was undertaken in collaboration with British Geological Survey (BGS), the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Wessex Archaeology and the Sussex Sea Fisheries Committee (SSFC). The results will now be integrated with our earlier map of the Eastern English Channel under a newly awarded English Channel Synthesis project. MESL are also working on the Humber and East Coast REC's with colleagues in BGS, Cefas, Wessex Archaeology, Birmingham University, Envision and Gardline Environmental Ltd. The results of these three studies will be available towards the end of March 2011.

The South Coast REC report is currently undergoing peer review and will be available at the end of March 2010, in the meantime if you would like any further information on this or any of the other REC projects please do not hesitate to contact Bryony (bryony@seasurvey.co.uk) or the REC coordinator Euan McNeill (e.mcneill@wessexarch.co.uk)