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The Blackwater Estuary is a 5,538 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), with 4,395 hectares being designated as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance and Special Protection Area, while 1,099 hectares of the Estuary is a National Nature Reserve.
The Estuary includes Tollesbury Wick and part of Abbotts Hall Farm, nature reserves managed by Essex Wildlife Trust and also withing the SSSI area.
The Estuary has been a popular Oysters farming location for over a thousand years and there are remains of fish weirs from the Anglo-Saxon era dotted along the coastline. At the head of the estuary is the historic maritime town of Maldon, which is a centre of salt production, as well as offering a wide range of seaborne tours and chartered cruises.
Also located on the Eastuary is Northey Island, a special place due to the use of the islands for the first experiments in the UK of 'managed retreat', whereby a saltmarsh is created by setting sea walls back from what are perceived to be unsustainable positions. The area is notable as a breeding area for Little Tern and as a transit point for Ringed Plover birds.
Other notable bird species include Pied avocet, Black-tailed godwit, Dark-bellied brent geese, Dunlin, Eurasian golden plover, Grey plover, Hen harrier, Common redshank, Ruff and Common shelduck.
The estuary is also the current mooring location for the radio ship Ross Revenge, the home of former pirate station Radio Caroline.
