Szczecin Lagoon Eco Island - Poland

For hundreds of years dredging companies have been digging ship canals and shipping lanes deep into sea beds. Soil from these has been dumped on land and shorelines. In 2018 Southwoods was asked to create an island sanctuary with dredged materials from a marine way widening project. 1.25 kilometres wide, the eco-island has 6 major habitat areas and an array of shorelines, wetlands, freshwater ponds, rookery trees, nest boxes, and a multilayered canopy of deciduous trees and shrubs.  A second two-kilometre island is planned to begin creating a series of five estuary sanctuaries from otherwise. 

Benefits of the island are:

• Ecological

• a protected habitat for threatened and declining species.

• Resources for migrating birds in the European flyway

• Isolated, varied, and protected shoreline habitat

• Wetlands for freshwater flora and fauna

• Social

• Marine sanctuary offering habitat and recreational wildlife observation

• Improved public perception of corporate ethics and intention

• Improved perception of national priorities for ecological restoration

• Economic

• restored ecosystem services for fisheries and sports fishing.

• a model strategy for repurposing dredged materials for long term storage.

• reduced cost in dredging projects