UK Nature and Environment

This funds 5 large strategic projects, including projects led by teams at the University of Essex (ARISE) and the COAST-R Network Plus headed by Professor Briony McDonagh at the University of Hull, which will work to generate and share learning across sectors and disciplines to build UK coastal and marine resilience. The primary focus of the RACC project will be to assess the combined risks of climate change, coastal flooding and erosion, and the presence of thousands of historic landfills and contaminated sites across the UK’s coast.

The research conducted by RACC will assess the impacts of pollution release from historic coastal landfills, which can include heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, medical waste, plastics, and asbestos, on coastal habitats and communities. The study will focus on three UK geographic areas, assessing the environmental and social challenges posed and developing a suite of sustainable management options in collaboration with stakeholders and communities.