Marine habitat as a Nature-Based Solution in Belfast Harbour: developing Native Oyster restoration in modified water bodies.

Queen’s University Belfast is seeking a professional for a Marine habitat project focused on Native Oyster restoration in Belfast Harbour. The role involves collaboration with Belfast Harbour and Ulster Wildlife to develop restoration techniques, monitor performance indicators, and create guidance for stakeholders. The project aims to enhance marine biodiversity and ecosystem resilience in response to climate change. This is a full-time position based in the United Kingdom.
Healthy and diverse marine and coastal habitats are recognised as crucial in society’s adaptation to and mitigation of climate change. Within policy, a range of marine and coastal habitats are recognised for their specific roles in carbon sequestration, coastal protection and in the maintenance and improvement of water quality – often termed “Nature-Based Solutions”. Many coastal habitats are currently in a degraded state, or their areal extent has been reduced due to human activity.Native oysters (Ostrea edulis) were once widespread across the Island of Ireland, particularly in the sea loughs. These provided a range of ecosystem services that have subsequently been lost. Since industrialisation, many of these water bodies have become highly modified, often through land reclamation and dredging for shipping access, as well as reducing water quality due to human population density and activities. Ports and Harbours play a crucial role in the economy, but also face unique challenges from sea level rise and coastal erosion under climate change. Restoring marine habitats within and adjacent to such areas may provide notable benefits in reducing the impact of climate change as well as promoting biodiversity and wider ecosystem resilience.This project will work closely with Belfast Harbour and Ulster Wildlife to develop restoration options for the native oyster within the Harbour estate. It will focus on a trial site to identify techniques for promoting restoration, using best available knowledge and through a thorough physical and biological understanding of site characteristics and best practice of restoration from further afield. Native oysters will be introduced to the trial site, and a range of reef restoration performance indicators, including oyster survival and recruitment, biodiversity and sediment stabilisation will be developed in collaboration with researchers across the BRICONS project partnership. Initial monitoring of these metrics will be completed and results compared to remnant native oyster beds in the west coast of Ireland (used as reference sites) and/or other restoration sites. Furthermore, how oyster restoration techniques influence larval transport to assess potential connectivity with other oyster populations will be considered under changing climate scenarios. Finally, the project will support development of guidance and toolkits for stakeholders, such as Harbour and Port authorities, to encourage adoption of such nature-based solutions.A range of techniques will be utilised throughout the project, including field-based surveys (physical and ecological), numerical modelling and crucially ongoing stakeholder engagement.