The Dee Estuary

Written by Emily Lake, Cheshire Wildlife Trust

The Dee Estuary is one of the largest and least modified estuaries in the UK at 15,000 hectares. Neither river nor sea, the miles of bare mud and marsh can appear barren, yet estuaries rank along with tropical rainforests and coral reefs as the world’s most productive ecosystems!

Unfortunately, what makes the Dee Estuary special is at risk. Our Dee Estuary / Caru Aber Dyfrdwy is on a mission to connect communities to their shared coastal heritage and help more and a wider range of people learn about, appreciate, and look after their amazing coastal wildlife. This Tidal Dee Catchment Partnership project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund will deliver outcomes for people, communities, and wildlife, and we want everyone to be part of it.

We have 3 areas of work in this project. Love my Estuary is all about telling people about the estuary, improving access to the green and blue spaces around the estuary and showing people what they can do to help protect the estuary for future generations. Coastlives is all about the hands-on practical conservation that is most familiar to people. Improving spaces for wildlife with the help of our partners and volunteers, surveying and recording the flora and fauna of the Dee Estuary for use by scientists and conservation organisations and teaching the next generation about the Dee Estuary through our teacher training program and the John Muir Award scheme. Finally, One Estuary is uniting all the organisations and governing bodies that have an interest in the Dee Estuary. By coming together we can pool our resources and expertise to protect the Dee Estuary’s unique habitats and wildlife for generations to come.

If you want to know more, or find out how you can be involved then look for us on social media, we are @ourdeeestuary on Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter), or visit our website www. ourdeeestuary.co.uk