Invertebrate recolonization of fine-grained beneficial use schemes: An example from the southeast coast of England

The disposal of maintenance dredged material constitutes one of the most important problems in coastal zone management. To minimise ecological impacts, a number of ‘beneficial use’ options have developed whereby the material is regarded as a potential resource and used to recharge or recreate intertidal habitats. This paper presents the results of a sampling programme to investigate the macrofaunal recovery rates, and the underlying mechanisms responsible for them, following a beneficial use scheme involving the placement of fine-grained dredged material on a salt marsh in southeast England.