Stehr Consulting Survey on the Application of Eco-Structures within Nature-Inclusive Design Solutions
Stehr Consulting, working with Inland and Coastal Marina Systems (ICMS) and Howell Marine Consulting, is gathering perspectives from across industry to better understand current awareness, experiences, and attitudes towards nature‑inclusive (“nature‑positive”) design solutions in marine and coastal infrastructure such as Living Seawalls and similar habitat‑enhancing technologies.
This survey will be open until 14 August 2026
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Aims and Purpose
The aim of this research is to:
- Assess how different parts of the maritime and coastal sector currently engage with eco-structures in the context of nature inclusive design.
- Identify perceived benefits, barriers, and drivers influencing adoption.
- Understand the strength of the commercial, regulatory, and environmental case for these solutions.
- Gather insights to support future market development, policy alignment, and evidence generation.
We are seeking input from a broad range of stakeholders, including port and harbour owners and operators, developers, consultants, regulators, industry bodies, and research organisations. Your responses will help build a clearer picture of how nature‑positive solutions are being considered and applied across the sector.
The survey consists of a mixture of multiple-choice and scaled questions tailored to your organisation type, along with optional opportunities to provide additional insight.
How Your Responses Will Be Used
Data Protection and Privacy
Data Protection: Any information provided in this form will be managed according to Stehr Consulting Ltd’s Data Protection Policies, which can be shared upon request. The form itself will be supported through the Stehr Consulting Microsoft Forms service, and the responses collated in a single Excel Spreadsheet that will also remain on our SharePoint.
On their request, the project client may receive a copy of the data from this form.
No personal or identifiable information is requested as part of this survey, but should any identifiable information be placed into the response by the respondent it will be removed, and only an anonymised form will be shared.
Upon project completion, the resultant data from this form will be archived according to Stehr Consulting best practice.
All responses will be retained and managed only by the Stehr Consulting and ICMS project teams and will not be shared publicly. Any information provided is anonymised to produce an overall summary of the information provided.
Privacy Notice: To download a copy of our Privacy Notice, please click here.
Who is Inland and Coastal Marina Solutions?
Inland and Coastal Marina Solutions is a specialist design and manufacturer of floating infrastructure to enable safe access for all forms of boats in ports, harbours, and marinas. They are committed to taking a Nature Positive approach, encouraging sustained creation of habitats on and around their structures.
What are Living Seawalls?
Living Seawalls are an eco‑engineered solution designed to enhance the environmental performance of coastal and marine infrastructure. They consist of modular concrete habitat panels that are attached to existing or new structures such as seawalls, quay walls, and pilings.
Unlike traditional flat concrete walls, which are typically smooth and provide little ecological value, Living Seawalls panels introduce texture, complexity, and micro‑habitats. These panels are designed to mimic natural shoreline features (such as rock pools, crevices, and reef‑like surfaces) that support marine life.
The panels are installed in a mosaic pattern, creating a varied surface that allows different species to settle, shelter, and feed. This approach helps transform otherwise “sterile” infrastructure into functional habitats, encouraging biodiversity in urbanised marine environments.
Living Seawalls are modular and adaptable, with multiple panel types available to suit different environmental conditions and ecological objectives. They can be retrofitted onto existing infrastructure or integrated into new designs, making them a flexible solution for ports, harbours, and coastal developments.
What is Nature-Inclusive Design?
Living Seawalls is one example of a broader approach known as nature‑inclusive design (NID).
In a maritime context, nature‑inclusive design means intentionally integrating habitat features and ecological considerations into the design of marine infrastructure, so that it delivers both its engineering function (e.g. coastal protection, berthing, energy generation) and environmental benefits.
Traditionally, structures such as seawalls, breakwaters, and quay walls have been engineered solely for performance and durability. However, these structures often replace natural habitats and create simplified, low‑biodiversity environments. Eco‑engineering approaches like NID aim to address this by reintroducing habitat complexity and ecological function into built assets.
In practice, nature‑inclusive design can involve:
- Adding habitat features (e.g. panels, textured surfaces, cavities).
- Designing structures to support specific species or ecosystems.
- Enhancing biodiversity while maintaining structural performance.
- Supporting wider goals such as Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), climate resilience, and water quality improvement.
NID seeks to bridge the gap between engineering and ecology ensuring that necessary infrastructure not only minimises environmental harm, but actively contributes to healthier marine ecosystems.
More Information
For more information on Living Seawalls, you can visit the website of Inland and Coastal Marina Systems here.
For more information on Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), you can find more information on gov.uk.
Stehr Consulting Ltd is not responsible for the content of external websites.
An example of Living Seawalls installed on a harbour wall © Stehr Consulting Ltd 2026