LIFE WADER is a five-year, €6,8m project running 2021-2026, aimed at improving the condition of the river, intertidal and marine habitats of the Northumberland coast and Tweed catchment for the species that depend on them. The project is led by Natural England in collaboration with the Environment Agency, Tweed Forum and Newcastle University, and is co-funded by the European Union through the EU LIFE Programme.

LIFE WADER is a large and ambitious project with a range of diverse work programmes and aims. The project focuses on four Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and two Special Protection Areas (SPAs) spanning 70,242ha from SE Scotland along the Northumbrian coast and including the Tweed catchment in the Scottish Borders and the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve to the East.  By tackling issues affecting site condition targeting 10 Annex I habitats, 3 Annex II species & associated SPA bird interests, LIFE WADER aims to ensure these become sites more resilient to climate change.

The project has taken a catchment to coast approach to nature recovery looking at the bigger picture through a landscape-scale lens. It set out to tackle four major issues prevalent in the area: declining water quality affecting freshwater, coastal and marine habitats; excessive algal growth in the intertidal; increasing spread of invasive species in riparian, coastal and marine habitats; and growing recreational and visitor pressure on wildlife habitats, particularly at the coast.  Practical nature recovery interventions have been aimed at addressing these challenges through the trial of innovative solutions as well as demonstration of established practice. In tackling these issues, the project also set out to raise levels of awareness about the importance and interconnectivity between the river, coastal and marine habitats of this special area.

Project website The LIFE WADER project website

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