Yorkshire Coast Catchment Partnership • Yorkshire Marine Nature Partnership

The unique species and diverse habitats of Yorkshire’s seascapes are often the first thing that comes to mind when we think about looking after our important marine ecosystem, but the water column itself is an integral and vital part of that system.

Ensuring that our inshore waters are clean and free to function as naturally as possible, produces benefits for the environment, communities, tourism and coastal industries.

The Yorkshire coast is split into two water bodies: Yorkshire North and Yorkshire South. Both are monitored for chemical and ecological objectives, including how much the coastline has been modified by human intervention.

The Concrete Coast project is working to improve the ‘heavily modified’ status of Yorkshire’s waterbodies, with funding from the Environment Agency. Find out more at the link below:

Concrete Coast Project

Historically, coastal waters have not been afforded the same level of management resource as in-land waterways have enjoyed.

Three Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) partnerships work successfully across the Yorkshire region to improve and secure water quality for our rivers and streams, but it is acknowledged that the skills and expertise required to do the same for inshore waters (out to 1 nautical mile) are very different. The Yorkshire Coast Catchment Partnership has been formed to fill that gap in resources and work towards improvements in water quality.

Read more about how water quality is assessed at the link below.

Working closely with a wide variety of partners, the YCCP provides the resources, skills and knowledge to understand, monitor and improve ecological water quality along the Yorkshire coast. Sitting parallel to the YMNP, the catchment partnership links with wider marine management actions and terrestrial water quality initiatives; advocating for water quality and enabling more collaboration and coordination.

The YCCP supports partners in meeting their statutory duties towards coastal water quality and will:

Improve understanding of the inshore environment, including issues impacting water quality status, habitat connectivity, natural sedimentation transport processes and the impact of ‘hard engineered’ man-made structures on the coast;
Seek opportunities for habitat restoration and creation to support the wider marine environment, explore options for increased monitoring and research, and develop our knowledge of future risks such as climate change;
Work collaboratively to share resources, support cross-boundary initiatives and encourage more people to care for the region’s natural heritage.

Check back soon for further updates on the YCCP!

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The YMNP works with an ever-growing network of partners to identify key knowledge gaps, develop new projects, support existing activities, and enable innovative progress.

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