LIFE WADER

Active

from 01/10/2021 until 31/12/2026

LIFE WADER is a five-year project 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.

LIFE WADER has taken a catchment to coast approach to nature recovery looking at the bigger picture through a landscape-scale lens. Spanning 70,242ha from the SE Scottish border along the Northumbrian coast, including the Tweed catchment, and the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve.

LIFE WADER is led by Natural England in partnership with Environment Agency, Tweed Forum and Newcastle University and co-funded by the European Commission.

Aim

The EU LIFE WADER project 2021-2026 is a five-year cross-border project that has taken a catchment to coast approach to nature recovery across 70,242ha of the river Tweed Catchment from the SE Scottish border along the Northumbrian coast and including the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve. The project focuses on building resilience and improving the condition of 49,000ha of river, intertidal and marine habitats of the Northumberland coast and Tweed catchment for the species that depend on them. LIFE WADER tackles four major issues prevalent in the area: declining water quality, excessive algal growth, increasing spread of invasive species and growing recreational pressure on wildlife habitats. 

Participation & Audience

Target group: local volunteers, community interest groups, NGOs, educational institutions, students, farmers, landowners, land managers

Number of participants: ~1000

Duration of involvement: 1 day to 4 months, year round for some activities

How to participate

Community groups, NGOs e.g. rivers trusts, wildlife trusts known to partners are invited to get involved in specific projects and activities e.g. one-off or 3 month projects.

General volunteer recruitment through project website contact form for continuous opportunities such as INNS removal days and wildlife surveys/monitoring.

Students are also offered projects through the University partner

Impact
Community impact: Raising levels of awareness of the importance and interconnected nature of habitats and species within the project area. Increased take-up of sustainable practices, increased involvement by community groups
Community impact types: Awareness-raising, Sustainable practices, Other
Insights and Highlights
Achievements:
ongoing: water quality analysis, INNS identification and control, and bird population counts, all moving towards improvement.
Outreach methods:
Multiple: social media, website, established networks and community/NGO groups, talks, workshops and other interactive events
Interesting highlights:
to follow
About funding

Funding bodies: EU

Funding program: LIFE

About branding
Logo design by: LIFE WADER
LIFE WADER Go to Project
Water type
Surface water Soil water Groundwater
Keywords
Inns Shorebirds Water Quality
Science Topics
Water Marine
Difficulty Level
Medium
Participation tasks
Identification Learning Measurement Sample analysis
Location
Regional Neighbourhood
Contact
E-mail
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Created Nov. 14, 2025, 11:56 a.m.
Updated Nov. 14, 2025, 11:56 a.m.

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