The Blackwater estuary is the largest estuary in Essex and one of the largest estuarine complexes in East Anglia, flowing from Maldon before joining the Colne estuary and the North Sea at Mersea Island.
The Blackwater and Colne estuaries are of international conservation importance and consist of a mosaic of important habitats including saltmarsh, intertidal mudflats, shingle and coastal grazing marsh.
This map shows the current projects; potential, in progress and completed, for the Blackwater and Colne Estuaries.
Project status
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Potential
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In progress
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Completed
Click or tap a number to view the project details

Native Oyster restoration project

The Native Oyster
The Blackwater, Crouch, Roach and Colne Estuaries contain the most important area in the South-East of England for the Native Oyster (Ostrea edulis) and the extensive oyster bed habitat that they create, made up of the oysters themselves as well as their dead shells. Read more...
Essex Historic Coastal data available on the NBN Gateway

Essex Wildlife Trust was awarded funding from Natural England in early 2015 to digitise Essex coastal data for the Blackwater and Colne Estuary, collected by the National Rivers Authority in the early 1990s. This is part of our ongoing partnership work with Natural England and the Environment Agency. Read more...