Last updated: October 2021
GIFT-T (Green Infrastructure For Tomorrow - Together!) is a four-year European project of which Medway was one of five case studies. In this project communities, businesses and governments were brought together to facilitate bottom up planning and implementation of green infrastructure (Ref 1). The product of this is a general business plan, and the planned intervention of focus here is the "Thames Terrace Invertebrates - corridors for wildlife" (Ref 2). Hoo Island already has areas that serve well to sustain invertebra species, but as of yet also has underutilised potential in this respect. This intervention addresses the latter.
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Alley or street trees and other street vegetation
- Institutional green space
- Blue infrastructure
- Riverbank/Lakeside greens
- Parks and urban forests
- Green corridors and green belts
Key challenges
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity conservation
- Green space creation and/or management
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Monitoring and maintenance of habitats and/or biodiversity
Project objectives
1. Increase awareness of the importance of the Hoo Peninsula in relation to climate change impacts and a healthy living environment, 2. Enhance the population size and diversity of invertebrate on Hoo Island, 3. Greening the industrial business parks, 4. Create wildlife corridors to increase ecological connectivity, 5. Improve access to green space, 6. Improve the site's appeal to visitors, 7. Identify opportunities for biodiversity offsetting, 8. Reduce excess water flow (Ref 2).
Implementation activities
1. Create a new habitat within business parks, 2. Create nectar-rich headland strips within nearby farmland, 3. Create new flower-rich habitats along public rights of way and within and around the peninsula's villages. These take the form of 5-metre wide vegetation strips that are mown on a 2-3 year rotation, 4. Maintenance of the river banks for invertebrate populations (Ref 2).
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity conservation:
- Protect and enhance urban habitats
- Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
- Create new habitats
- Preserve and strengthen habitat connectivity
- Protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect native species
- Undertake specific measures to protect valued species
- Means for conservation governance
- Biodiversity offsets
- Raise public awareness
- Public engagement
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
- Citizens or community groups
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Regional government
- Non-government organisation/civil society
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Dissemination of information and education
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
A key aspect of the GIFT-T project is that communities, businesses and governments jointly plan and implement green infrastructure. As such, the project is led by the local government, together with business park managers and private land owners and the local community (Ref 4). Key partners are also national bodies such as Natural england and the Environmental Agency. Regionally, the Kent Wildlife Trust and Buglife are involved. Lastly, to monitor the progress of the biodiversity, a research position was created (Ref 2, 3).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Yes
(1. GIFT-T, that this intervention is a part of, is a European research project that aims to strenghten and illustrate hwo communities, administrative bodies and businesses can do to contribute to the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, the Habitatss and Birds Directive and the EU Biodiversity strategy (Ref 5). 2. The Conservation of Natural habits and of Wild Fauna and Flora (the Habitats Directive) supports the identification of Special Protection Areas like this one. Spedifically, article 6 regarding Natura 2000 is emphasized (Ref 2). )
... a national policy or strategy?
Yes
(1. The Medway Estuary and Marshes on Hoo Peninsula are a Site of Special Scientific Interest and thus falls under legal national protection. Local authorities have the duty to further the conservation and enhancement of these areas (Ref 2), 2. The Natural Environment White Paper ' ‘The Natural Choice: securing the value of nature’ was
published in June 2011, the result of which was funding to create Nature Improvement Areas, one of which was the Medway Estuary and Marches (Ref 3), 3. "Biodiversity 2020: a strategy for England's wildlife and ecosystem serves" was the result of the 'Aichi Targets' (a global vision for biodiversity policy). This has shaped the planning of the present intervention (Ref 3), )
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public regional budget
- Public local authority budget
- Private Foundation/Trust
Type of funding
- Unknown
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Unknown
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
Ref 1: GIFT-T. (n.d.). Hoo Peninsula. (Website not available in 2020)
Ref 2: Medway Swale Estuary Partnership. (n.d.). Introduction. Retrieved from Source link (Accessed 01/12/2020)
Ref 3: Nature Improvement Area Objective 2.1.1: Greater Thames Marshes. Retrieved from Source link (Accessed 01/12/2020)
Ref 4: GIFT-T. (n.d.). Together? (Website not available in 2020)
Ref 5: GIFT-T. (n.d.). Aim. (Website not available in 2020)
Ref 5: GIFT-T. (n.d.). Examples: Hoo Peninsula. (Website not available in 2020)
Ref 6: GIFT. (2012). GIFT-T! Hoo Peninsula - community conversation young people on the peninsula. (Website not available in 2020)
Ref 2: Medway Swale Estuary Partnership. (n.d.). Introduction. Retrieved from Source link (Accessed 01/12/2020)
Ref 3: Nature Improvement Area Objective 2.1.1: Greater Thames Marshes. Retrieved from Source link (Accessed 01/12/2020)
Ref 4: GIFT-T. (n.d.). Together? (Website not available in 2020)
Ref 5: GIFT-T. (n.d.). Aim. (Website not available in 2020)
Ref 5: GIFT-T. (n.d.). Examples: Hoo Peninsula. (Website not available in 2020)
Ref 6: GIFT. (2012). GIFT-T! Hoo Peninsula - community conversation young people on the peninsula. (Website not available in 2020)