Sites Of Special Scientific Interest Research Articles

Protective works and geological conservation

Abstract Britain’s rich heritage of internationally important geological sites is well known to engineers and geologists alike, but from time to time, the undertaking of protective works on unstable slopes or cliffs designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest bring conservationists and engineers into conflict. Many classic geological localities occur along the coastline of Britain, such as the Jurassic sequences of Dorset, the glacial and interglacial sediments of the North Norfolk Coast and the stratotypes of the Hampshire Basin. Unfortunately, many of these coastlines are inherently unstable, suffering rates of erosion of up to 2–3 m per annum. Where such cliffs occur in close proximity to areas of habitation or recreation, there is strong local pressure to find an engineered solution to the problem of coastal erosion. Traditionally, such schemes involve the construction of concrete sea walls, cliff grading and cliff drainage, leading in some instances to the obliteration of any geological interest which may formerly have existed. The Nature Conservancy Council has a direct responsibility to monitor developments which may have an effect on all SSSIs and is automatically consulted in the event of an application being made by an individual or local authority to undertake coast protection works. It must be said that only a small proportion of the total number of applications made are considered to be damaging to the network of SSSIs and in those instances, an attempt is made to negotiate a compromise which allows for the coast to be protected from further erosion, whilst safeguarding the scientific interest. Case histories are given to illustrate the range of problems which are posed by engineering works and the way in which apparent conflict of interests may be resolved.

Conservation and the Antarctic environment: The working group reports of the joint IUCN/SCAR Symposium on the scientific requirements for Antarctic conservation

Six working groups were set up at the joint IUCN/SCAR Symposium on the scientific requirements for Antarctic conservation. These were charged with (i) identifying gaps in the scientific understanding of ecosystems that inhibit rational management, and (ii) considering whether present conservation practices were taking enough account of what is known of the region, particularly with regard to protected areas. There is still a need for synthesis and further work on stocks and the life history of krill in the pelagic ecosystem. Monitoring strategies are not clear and biomass determinations are difficult and costly. Information on squid is lacking. Although there is much information on higher consumers there is a gap in knowledge of dynamic ecological processes, particularly in winter. Studies of crabeater seals deserve priority. The network of existing protected areas is inadequate for preserving all species of birds, seals and whales; new criteria are needed for effective conservation. On land, the Agreed Measures provide an adequate framework for conservation, though additional steps are needed to ensure adherence to their provisions. Selection criteria are deficient. Additional measures are required; these include the establishment of Conservation Areas, general provision for the protection of biota, and a code of conduct for all activities. Exploitation of marine mammals (except the minke whale) has ceased. Monitoring whales presents difficulties. Fish stocks are significantly exploited and better monitoring is required. Prediction of trends in krill catches is difficult but there has been a large drop in krill fishing effort. Localised effects on predators could occur with catches of a few million metric tons. Commercial mineral exploitation in the Antarctic is a long way in the future but exploitation could result from political motives. There is a need for a data base for the design of investigations and impact assessment. Operational hazards need to be modelled in advance. It is important not to go too far too fast. Antarctica is unique in its control measures and their implementation. However, Specially Protected Areas lack management plans and management plans at Sites of Special Scientific Interest are not consistent. There are inadequate guidelines on the development of scientific stations. The coastal region must be regarded as critical habitat. A comprehensive conservation strategy is required with a broader network of protected areas giving full consideration to marine as well as terrestrial areas. Copies of the full working group reports have been deposited with IUCN and SCAR.

The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, the Antarctic Treaty and Conservation in Antarctica

A Symposium on Scientific Requirements for Antarctic Conservation was jointly sponsored by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), and was held in Bonn, Federal Republich of Germany in April 1985. IUCN and SCAR are different in scope of mission, criteria for membership, and financial resources in support of their activities. The two organizations find a common ground in conservation in the Antarctic, SCAR and the Antarctic Treaty came into being as a result of the 1957–1958 International Geophysical Year, and although the Consultative Parties of the Treaty and SCAR have no formal relationship, SCAR has responded to frequent requests from the Treaty nations for scientific information and advice related to the formulation of policy. Among these requests are those related to living resources of the Southern Ocean and the environmental effects of mineral resource exploration and exploitation. SCAR also recommended the adoption of principles for Antarctic conservation and the establishment of Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Specially Protected Areas. In most cases these recommendations have been implimented by the Consultative Parties. The role of the Consultative Parties was debated in the United Nations General Assembly where some members of the Third World Nations challenged the exclusivity of the Treaty Nations in the governance of Antarctica. They proposed instead that Antarctic affairs should be regulated under a UN trusteeship because Antarctica is “the common heritage of all mankind.” To explore this controversy in all its ramifications, an informal workshop was held in a remote site in Antarctica in January 1985. Participants included scientists, diplomats, international lawyers, environmental advocates, conservationists, and representatives from industry and the United Nations. The views of both the Consultative Parties and the Third World Nations were presented and informally debated at length. The conservation of Antarctic resources and the protection of the environment were two themes on which all agreed. The differences related to the manner in which conservation of resources and environmental protection should be carried out and under what authority.

The sublittoral macrofaunal benthos of the Antarctic shelf

A general review of the salient features of the sublittoral macrofaunal benthos of the Antarctic shelf is presented. The need of recognizing a mixed epi-infauna biota, which includes an unusual epi-faunal soft-bottom component, is suggested. This would help the study of the structure of the Antarctic macrobenthos and lend some validity to future quantitative (density and biomass) distribution data. While in large time and space scales the Antarctic environment appears to be rather stable, contributing to a high species diversity, there are sources of disturbances which change the general benthic pattern to a complex mosaic of different successional stages, intergrading with undisturbed communities. Among these sources of disturbance which may be important in structuring benthic communities in Antarctica are anchor ice, ice plucking, ice calving, mud slides, rafted clastic rain, and most important perhaps, iceberg ploughing. The Antarctic benthic realm is unique because of its high taxonomic diversity, widespread endemism, and mostly K-adapted species; biomass is generally high and diverse suspension-feeding communities dominate. There are at present no effective means of establishing extensive protected marine areas or setting aside benthic reserves. SCAR has recognised three marine Sites of Special Scientific Interest, but these have slim chances of being recognized by the Antarctic Treaty itself. While the agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora and CCAMLR are not seen as means to develop such extensive marine conservation areas in Antarctica, hope is placed in the Antarctic Minerals Regime which is being negotiated at present. In order to establish a scientifically based scheme for benthic realm conservation, however, both descriptive and experimental research on benthos will have to be greatly expanded around Antarctica.

The protection of fossils - comments on the Holzmaden model

To most people concerned with conservation in Great Britain the idea of a geological monument is perhaps foreign. Such categories are a familiar feature overseas, and they were included in the original Nature Reserves Investigation Committee site list for England and Wales (1945). Since then/monuments* have played no part in British earth science conservation for they were displaced by early legislation (National Parks and Access to Countryside Act 1949), which established the existing dual system of Sites of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserves.

The Selection of Conservation Areas in Antarctica: An Example Using the Arthropod Fauna of Antarctic Islands

Four conservation areas in the maritime Antarctic (three Specially Protected Areas and a Site of Special Scientific Interest) are compared with neighbouring islands which have not been awarded similar conservation status. Comparisons are carried out by using the terrestrial arthropod fauna, as opposed to the plant communities. Results indicate that arthropod diversity can vary significantly between localities for samples collected from the same vegetation types, but that within a limited geographical area the diversity of such faunas is similar.

Numerical abundance of myxomycetes (myxogastrids) in soils in the West of England

A most-probable-number technique was used to quantify the abundance of myxomycetes (myxogastrids) in soil samples taken from 23 ‘Sites of Special Scientific Interest’ and one other site in the West of England. Associated organisms and soil conditions were also recorded. Sixteen of the 24 sites yielded myxomycete plasmodium-forming units (PFUs) in numbers averaging 230 cm −3 fresh soil. Where detectable in samples of grassland soil, the numbers ranged from 20–2750 cm −3, in woodland soil from 20–800 cm −3, and in sand dunes from 80–400 cm −3. Repeated sampling revealed changing numbers at single sites. The abundance of PFUs was correlated positively with numbers of soil amoebae, ciliates and nematodes, and with levels of magnesium and soil density, and negatively with organic matter content and levels of NH 4-nitrogen and phosphate. Each PFU probably corresponded to one or several uninucleate cells in the soil rather than to a plasmodium.

Introduction to the palaeontology of the Dinantian of Foulden, Berwickshire, Scotland

ABSTRACTThe Foulden Site of Special Scientific Interest is one of the few Cementstone Group localities that yields significant fauna and flora. Excavations in 1980 and 1981 removed a 1·3 m2 slab of the Fish Bed for laboratory study of the vertical and spatial distribution of the biota. Layer by layer analysis revealed an almost mutually exclusive relationship between the vertical distribution of the palaeoniscoid fishes and malacostracan crustaceans, as well as a horizon crowded with juvenile acanthodians. Elongate elements of this biota showed slight preferred orientations at that prolific horizon. Some 27 m of strata including the Fish Bed, Plant Bed and Shell Bed are recorded in detail, and their biota noted. Interim results of work on the main groups collected are summarised in associated papers in this part of Transactions. Brief reports are given here on the euryhaline marine bivalve mollusc Modiolus latus (Portlock), a rare durophagous bradyodont shark tooth and an Eogyrinus-like amphibian scute.

POST-MEDIEVAL AND RECENT CHANGES IN BRITISH VEGETATION: THE CULMINATION OF HUMAN INFLUENCE.

Although measurable climatic fluctuation in temperature and wetness has occurred between A.D. 1700 and 1984, lack of earlier records and the complicating effects of human influence militate against detection of vegetational response in Britain. Vegetational change during this period is thus regarded as almost entirely the result of anthropogenic factors. Agriculture, now affecting c. 80% of Britain's surface, is overwhelmingly the most important such factor. Original vegetation had been mostly destroyed or heavily modified by a.d. 1700, notably through removal of the former forest cover and draining of lowland wetlands. The last 300 years have seen continuing development of farming and other land uses, to the point where very little natural vegetation now remains, and the main extent of semi-natural types is located in the uplands. Many distinctive semi-natural vegetation types actually created by man over several centuries of low input-low output management have decreased greatly since A.D. 1700, and rate of loss has even accelerated since 1940-1950. Only 5% of permanent lowland grasslands now remain agriculturally unimproved neutral grassland and only an estimated 20% of the extent of pre-1940 calcareous grassland is now assignable to that category floristically. Lowland acidic heath has declined by 78% in area since A.D. 1830, and by 40% of the 1950 level. Lowland rich fens are reduced to scattered remnants, the largest expanse (the East Anglian Fenland) having decreased from 3380 km2 in ad 1630 to 10 km2 in 1984. Forest cover was reduced to 5·4% by 1924, but has increased to 9·4%, largely through planting of alien conifers in upland districts. Since 1930 an overall 46 % of ancient semi-natural broadleaved woodland has been lost, largely by conversion to conifer plantation but also through grubbing out. An estimated 300000 ha of ancient semi-natural woodland remains, representing 14% of existing woodland and 1·3% of Britain's land surface. The total extent of hedges in England and Wales was reduced by an estimated 140000 miles (28%) between 1946-1947 and 1974. Urban-industrial growth, including roads, railways, water-use, mineral extraction and energy generation, has directly obliterated large areas of vegetation and caused chemical pollution. Waste ground associated with these activities often develops semi-natural plant communities through spontaneous succession, and may become floristically rich. Pollution affects especially fresh water through both toxic residues and eutrophication from nutrient enrichment (including run-off of agricultural fertilizers). Atmospheric pollution causes acid deposition especially damaging locally to the lichen flora, and induces biological changes in lakes and rivers in districts of acidic rocks. Recreational pressures have caused increasing disturbance to vegetation locally, and less directly through working of Sphagnum bogs for horticultural moss litter and surface mining of limestone pavements for rockery stone. Collecting of plants as a hobby has also brought some species, notably rare ferns, orchids and'alpines'to dangerously low population levels, or even local extinction. The British flora has been profoundly modified by human influence. Only 19 vascular species are known to have become extinct, but many have declined greatly during the last 300 years and, for species in some habitats, especially semi-natural grasslands, rate of decrease has accelerated since 1940. Of 317 nationally rare species 117 (37%) have declined by at least 33 % since 1930. Human agency has also introduced to Britain at least 239 plant species which now grow wild, and extended the distribution of at least 363 others. Some are still increasing but others, notably weeds of arable land, are decreasing again. Conservation measures include setting up nature reserves to contain adequate representation of all semi-natural and natural vegetation types, and of populations of all native plant species. The aim is to give protected area status to c. 10% of Britain's surface through appropriate control and management designed to maintain or enhance the nature conservation interest. At present c. 1% is managed as nature reserve of one or other category and another 6% has been designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Wild plants are now legally protected against unauthorized picking and uprooting, and 61 rare species are protected by special measures. Wider environmental conservation measures to reduce damaging human impact on vegetation and flora include inputs to and by local authorities and their planning system, persuasion of landowners and resource managers, and pollution control; supported by an educational and publicity programme, and by relevant research and information.

Soil Erosion Mapping and Erosion Risk Assessment in North Wales - a Geomorphological Approach

Abstract This study aims to survey and map the soil erosion of 'A Site of Special Scientific Interest' (Eglwyseg Mountain) in North Wales, and to develop a simple but comprehensive model for erosion classification and prediction of erosion potential. Erosion features are identified and mapped following interpretation of aerial photographs and field observations. A multiplicative erosion assessment model is employed on the basis of present erosion severity, soil erodibility, vegetation cover, and slope gradient and form. The model is used to classify the study area into various erosion classes ranging from slight erosion to very severe erosion. From correlation tests and field evidence, vegetation is considered to be the most important parameter in the soil erosion system. Attention is directed towards biotic pressure as the main cause for a reduction in vegetation cover. Potential erosion is determined by assessing the difference between the present and the acceptable minimum percentage cover, and is comp...

The status and protection of notified sites of special scientific interest in South-East England

Records of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) held within the South-East Region of the Nature Conservancy Council were examined. Reasons for site designation were complex and depended upon several flexible conservation criteria, as well as administrative considerations. The wide range of semi-natural habitats concerned were associated with poor, unproductive land, of little value to agriculture. However, SSSI status often failed to prevent damage by agencies such as farming, urban development and forestry, and resulted in a constant stream of proposals to develop or improve the land. Of these, the non-statutory consultations, especially those involving agricultural improvements, were most successfully implemented. Although urban development applications were more frequent, especially in densely populated counties, they were less successful because of existing planning controls. Pressures of all kinds resulted in the loss, or radical alteration of 6% of the notified SSSI area in Kent during an eleven year period (1968–1979), and affected two-thirds of all sites. A number of case studies are used to illustrate the main reasons for these losses, and the likelihood of future damage is discussed in the context of the greater protection measures now afforded by the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981.

Natural environment of the Inner Hebrides—an introduction

SynopsisThe Inner Hebrides have a natural history which, in geological time, dates from the Archaean and, in human history, from the Mesolithic 7000–6500 BC. The archipelago was a great attraction to scientists and historians in the 19th and 20th centuries which has resulted in an extensive literature. It started with Martin in 1703 and following a steady interest for about two centuries has blossomed in many spheres of scientific and other interests over the past 50 years. The islands are geologically outstanding and much pioneering work has been done on their Lewisian and Torridonian basement, Mesozoic fossiliferous sediments and Tertiary ring structures which has been of value in the understanding of the geology of the European and the North Atlantic provinces. The geomorphological features include glaciated landscapes, raised beaches and those caused by marine erosion and accretion.The character of the islands is in great part determined by a mild, wet and windy climate. The soils are mainly ‘mor’ in character with localities of ‘mull’ soils overlying limestone or calcareous sand. Similarly, the vegetation and freshwaters are mainly oligotrophic except when overlying limestone or shell-sand which support meso- and eutrophic communities of plants and animals. There are important assemblies of breeding seabirds in Rhum and Treshnish Isles and wintering flocks of geese and other wildfowl in Islay. The large islands have populations of red deer, grey seals, common seals and otters breed throughout the islands. The Inner Hebrides hold stocks of plants and animals which are genetically distinct from those of the mainland and some have Lusitanian and American affinities.The islands are mainly used for the grazing of sheep and cattle with local small-scale arable cropping in crofting and farming. Forestry is possible only in the sheltered parts of the larger islands or in small sheltered islands; the main crops are sitka spruce and lodgepole pine but there are broadleafed woodlands around large houses in many islands and gardens with exotic, sub-tropical plants, shrubs and trees. There are pelagic and demersal marine fisheries, shell fisheries and fish farms mainly growing salmon, rainbow trout and mussels. The mineral resources on a commercial scale, are minor. The nature conservation interest is high with two National Nature Reserves (including Rhum) and 62 Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Nature conservation in the Inner Hebrides

SynopsisThe methods of nature conservation applied within the Inner Hebrides are those which are now standard throughout Britain and are governed by legislation. The procedures for habitat or site protection and species protection are illustrated in the descriptions of the reserves, the Sites of Special Scientific Interest and the protected species within the archipelago. The reserves and sites cover interests in the geology, geomorphology, zoology, botany and ecology of the islands and the surrounding seabed. National Scenic Areas are also mentioned. Relationships between nature conservation and the uses of land and sea are discussed. With the exceptions of the commercial exploitation of the island pastures in sheep husbandry, with much uncontrolled burning, and the exploitation of fin fish and shell fish and consequent widespread depletion of stocks, the Inner Hebrides are comparatively undisturbed by modern industrial development.

A Former Ice-Dammed Lake and Associated Glacier Limits in the Achnasheen Area, Central Ross-Shire

Lake shorelines, delta terraces and fine lake-floor sediments show that an ice-dammed lake existed around the site of Achnasheen in Strath Bran in northern Scotland. Associated with the lake were overflow channels, areas of water-swept bedrock and cross-valley moraines. The lake existed between four glaciers that converged on the site of Achnasheen but failed to meet each other. The ice-dam was a major glacier that flowed into and across Strath Bran, where it produced a major end moraine. The sequence of lake levels and associated geomorphic events is elucidated. Particular attention is given to the conspicuous terraces of the area: these include a major delta terrace, steeply sloping terraces associated with sudden lowering of lake level, outwash terraces and a terrace that represents the infill of a drift-dammed lake. Similar terraces have been described by the writer elsewhere in Scotland and are included with the Achnasheen evidence in a general consideration of terraces with particular reference to ice-dammed lakes. The hamlet of Achnasheen is located in the heart of the Northern Highlands of Scotland close to the divide between eastward- and westward-flowing streams (Figs 1 and 6). At Achnasheen two major through valleys, one from the west and the other from the south-west, join together to become Strath Bran. Around Achnasheen the floors of these valleys are largely occupied by conspicuous terraces, which are the principal features of the area designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest by the Nature Conservancy Council. Since Achnasheen lies at the junction of two main roads and is served by a railway line, the terraces have been visited by innumerable geomorphologists/geologists during the last hundred years. Yet the last published consideration of them is in a Geological Survey memoir dated 1913. Here Peach et al. interpreted the highest terrace as a delta deposited in an ice-dammed lake. They referred to lateral moraines crossing the River Bran 3 km east of Achnasheen, interpreting them as recording the western margin of a lobe of ice from the north that blocked Strath Bran. However they did not elaborate the conse- quences of this interpretation or present the abundant evidence that supports it.

The contribution of derelict mineral and industrial sites to the conservation of rare plants in the United Kingdom

The contribution of derelict industrial sites to the conservation of rare plants in the British Isles is reviewed. Many sites have acquired considerable biological interest and have been designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest or nature reserves. In most cases the development of wildlife interest has in the past been fortuitous rather than planned. There is, however, increasing evidence that the deliberate re-development of specific areas of derelict land for wildlife conservation is technical feasible. Whilst the forward planning of new mineral developments must continue to take account of existing wildlife values to minimise potential conflict and losses, nature conservation may, in certain circumstances, be considered as viable an endopoint as the more commonplace objectives of landscape rehabilitation. Further development of this policy could provide a means of compensating for the inevitable losses that will occur in the future, and greater attention must be paid to the potential of derelict industrial sites in this context.

The macrofauna of brackish and fresh waters of the Loch Druidibeg National Nature Reserve and its neighbourhood, South Uist

SynopsisThree main types of Hebridean freshwater lochs occur in the Loch Druidibeg National Nature Reserve; eutrophic calcareous machair lochs near the Atlantic coast, mesotrophic lochs on the edge of the moor and oligotrophic lochs on the peatlands. Chloride/calcium concentrations, highest in lochs near the sea, fall away rapidly inland and are lowest in the moor lochs. The fauna of eutrophic and mesotrophic lochs includes a few euryhaline brackish-water species Potamopyrgus jenkinsi, Diaptomus wierzejskii, Neomysis integer and Gammarus duebeni. G. duebeni alone penetrates the oligotrophic lochs. Freshwater sponges are widespread but are absent from the machair lochs and there are no triclad planarians. The fauna of fast and slow stream segments is described. Loch Bee, a man-made lagoon, unlike the open brackish lochs of North Uist, is an unstable habitat and its fauna has changed considerably since it was investigated in 1933. The fauna consists mainly of brackish-water species and a few stenohaline marine species which are confined to its seaward ends. The sequence of faunistic change in the Howmore estuary, Lochs Roag and Fada, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), is described; the brackish-water fauna is reduced by the volume of fresh water passing through the system. A brief account is given of the unusual dominance of Hyalinella punctata and Potamopyrgus jenkinsi in Loch Ardvule (SSSI), South Uist.

The natural environment of the Outer Hebrides

SynopsisThe historical review of scientific work done in the Outer Hebrides precedes a scientific profile of the archipelago including geographical, geological, botanical, zoological and resource outlines. Effects of the use of natural resources by man on the natural environment are discussed. Management of land and water for the purposes of nature conservation are given by descriptions of the Loch Druidibeg and Monach Islands National Nature Reserves and other Sites of Special Scientific Interest. These exemplify existing case studies and procedures in nature conservation conducted by the Nature Conservancy Council and others. In conclusion, the Outer Hebrides are set in the context of the National Planning Guidelines of the Scottish Development Department which show resources of ‘national’ importance in agriculture and nature conservation.

Concluding remarks

This meeting was called one full year after the official ending of the drought, in order to give time for full analysis and study of the data. We had, entirely by chance, picked the date which is statistically the wettest day of the wettest week in the year. In a one-day discussion it was not possible to cover all subjects and I was glad to receive from the Nature Conservancy Council an excellent report by Katherine Hearn and Michael Gilbert on the effects of the drought on Britain’s natural ecology. Observations on 350 National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest had shown a general picture of rapid recovery, except where fire had severely damaged some 50 of these areas. Their main fear was of the extra water-development activities involving abstractions and riverbank training which might be stimulated by the drought.

Nature conservation: aims, methods and achievements

Nature conservation aims to safeguard in perpetuity the essential subjects of study for natural scientists interested in the biota and the physical features of this country. Its basic strategy is to promote measures which minimize environmental damage resulting from human activities, following an evaluation of intrinsic importance of the features concerned and their vulnerability to disturbance. The establishment of nature reserves makes it possible to safeguard the most important areas of land and water by appropriate management programmes, and there are at present 150 National Nature Reserves, covering ca . 120000 ha. Lesser categories of safeguard include Sites of Special Scientific Interest, of which 3500 have been notified. Conservation outside these protected areas is achieved by the provision of advice on land use and planning, by publicity and education and by legislation. The efficacy of these measures depends on adequate scientific information from surveys, recurrent observations and ecological research. This necessitates a considerable research effort yielding in return the substantial advances in basic ecological understanding which are an ultimate aim of nature conservation.

Poole Town Quay Boat Haven - Hydraulic Studies For The Environmental Impact Assessment

Poole Harbour on the south coast of England is in frequent use both as a commercial port and for leisure activities. Within the Harbour is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and other areas of environmental significance. Any proposed developments in the Harbour will therefore need to be evaluated both for their impact on the existing commercial and leisure facilities and their effect on the environment. Hydraulic models provide an effective means for evaluating some of these effects and their application to the Town Quay Boat Haven development is described in this paper. The modelling carried out for Poole provides a good illustration of the use of hydraulic models in Environmental Impact Assessment (ElA). The techniques used are generally applicable to this type of assessment for harbour and marina development projects.