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Sefton Coast Partnership
Nature Conservation Strategy and Biodiversity Delivery Plan 2007
Summary of draft strategy –update September 2007
The Sefton Coast is a very special place, rich in landscape and nature. It deserves a careful approach to
conservation and management. The Sefton Coast Partnership (SCP) is a voluntary association of
landowners, statutory bodies and other organisations: it encourages a coordinated approach to the
management of landscape, nature and recreation following EU principles of Integrated Coastal Zone
Management. A draft nature conservation strategy has been prepared to support land managers in the
conservation and management of the coast and to help meet local and national targets for nature
conservation.
The draft strategy thus supports the goal of the Coast Management Plan to ‘conserve, protect and enhance the
landscape character, natural beauty and biodiversity of the coast’.
The definition of conservation is taken from the National Trust. “Conservation is the careful management
of change. It is about revealing and sharing the significance of places and ensuring that their special
qualities are protected, enhanced, understood and enjoyed by present and future generations.”
The Sefton Coast covers 20% of the dune area in England, it is probably the richest site for invertebrates
in the region, over 1000 vascular plants have been identified for the dune area, the Ribble and Alt estuaries
support some 350,000 over-wintering and passage waterbirds and there are significant populations of many
species, including Natterjack Toad, Sand Lizard, Red Squirrel and Dune Helleborine. This richness has led
to a series of local, national and international conservation designations including national Site of Special
Scientific Interest and international Special Protection Area and Special Area of Conservation.
The international sites on the Sefton Coast are part of the Natura 2000 network which gives the highest
level of protection to nature under UK law. The Natura 2000 network, however, is not just about site
protection –it seeks to promote the sustainable use of sites for people and nature, in partnership. The
Sefton Coast Partnership, through its membership of Eurosite is taking part in the Natura Networking
Programme that aims to improve communication about Natura 2000 to the general public.
Policies and strategies
The draft strategy lies within a framework of other plans and strategies, Government guidance and national
and international legislation, including;
Summary –draft Nature Conservation Strategy 2007
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The obligations on Sefton Council and other bodies to follow national legislation1 and guidance for
nature conservation;
The regional and local planning system.
The preparation and review of Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs).
The strategic planning of the Mersey Forest and the Mersey Waterfront Regional Park.
The specific policies of organisations within the Sefton Coast Partnership
Management principles
To adopt a coastwide approach
To regard the Sefton Coast and the Mersey and Ribble estuaries as ‘systems’ and to understand the issues
and threats in a wider regional, national and international context.
To allow nature to adapt to change
To allow nature to take its course wherever possible, planning for the long term in the context of predicted
climate change.
To work with coastal processes
To accept erosion and accretion as part of the dynamic character of the coast whilst recognising that some
constraints to this approach may be set by socio-economic needs.
To ensure continuity of management
To conserve semi-natural habitats through active and sustained management.
To restore nature
To identify opportunities for the restoration of processes, hydrology and habitats and the recovery of
species.
To involve people in nature conservation
To involve local communities in helping develop solutions to conservation challenges.
The Strategy process
The strategy is based on an approach to the evaluation of protected sites, where the features are identified,
objectives developed for each feature, factors which influence each feature are identified and monitoring is
based on ‘attributes’ (e.g. size, extent etc). For national sites Natural England develops Conservation
Objectives for the key features; these will be revised for the Sefton Coast in 2007.
In the strategy the Sefton Coast is described in terms of its;
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Landform –a product of geology, geomorphological processes and hydrology.
Intertidal habitats –sand-flats, mudflats and saltmarshes.
Dune habitats including the slacks, natural woodland, heathland and scrub.
The plantations, ponds, asparagus fields, ditches and grazing marshes
Value for passage, over-wintering and breeding birds
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Section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act places a new biodiversity duty on all public sector
bodies. Guidance will be published for local authorities in 2007.
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Characteristic, rare and protected animal and plant species
Overall high biodiversity value
Cultural landscape and archaeology
Value to society for access, recreation, education, tourism and economic use.
The strategy advocates a flexible, adaptable and open approach to management. As new information
comes to light about climate change, management practice or species conservation we need to be able to
respond. The input to the strategy, at an early stage, from a wide range of interests, has helped to identify
some of the issues.
The high wildlife value is partly a product of centuries of management by local communities, creating the
mosaic of dunes, woods, fields, heaths and marshes. Nature conservation, at the landscape scale, needs to
be part of this continuity of management.
The ‘condition’ of the Sefton Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
The strategy area includes the Sefton Coast SSSI and part of the Ribble Estuary SSSI. The condition of
these sites is monitored by Natural England2. This gives a ‘health check’ based on scientific criteria. The
UK Government target is that 95% of all SSSIs should be in favourable condition by 2010. The Sefton
Coast Partnership has worked closely with Natural England to help land managers understand the
challenge and the process.
On the dune system a significant area is in unfavourable condition. The Sefton Coast Partnership has
accepted the responsibility to meet the national target for SSSI condition through the Local Area
Agreement. Given the timescale this work is pressing and land managers will now work with Natural
England to agree how sites should be best managed. Management may include scrub control programmes,
mowing of meadows or the introduction of grazing funded through agri-environment schemes.
Conservation Issues
Key conservation issues include;
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The potential impacts of climate change and accelerated sea-level rise on land-use, habitats and species
The impact of atmospheric nutrient deposition on vegetation and soils
The consequences of coastal change leading to changes in the position of the coastline
The conservation of the geomorphological processes which maintain the ecosystem
Trends in plant communities which show a loss in the plants associated with young dunes and an
increase in coastal grassland
The consequences of fragmentation which can divide and isolate habitats and species
The medium and long-term conservation of water resources
The impact of human use which puts pressure on the natural environment
The need to establish good channels of communication with local communities
The nature conservation strategy presents a ‘vision’ for 2050 in which the objectives of the nature
conservation strategy have been met. The outlook is optimistic. Successful conservation of the features of
the Sefton Coast can be achieved by working with natural processes and landscape change.
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using the UK Common Standards Monitoring approach (see www.jncc.gov.uk/page-2217 )
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Links
The nature conservation strategy is linked to and supports other strategies on the coast, including the
access strategy, the Communications, Interpretation and Product Development Strategy (CIPD strategy),
Research Strategy, Shoreline Management Plans and the Sefton Coast Tourism Development Plan
Community involvement
Community interest and involvement is vital to identify the sense of place. The Sefton Coast Partnership
aims to support local cultural associations by celebrating the links between nature, landscape and
communities. Currently, applications are being made to the Heritage Lottery Fund Landscape Partnership
scheme, and other funding bodies, for projects that involve local people in learning about landscape and
biodiversity.
Key projects for the period 2007-2015
In the next 5-10 years the Sefton Coast Partnership, land managers and local interest groups will need to
address the following projects (the list is not exhaustive);
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A restoration project at Formby Point by the National Trust to retreat the main car park and to
maintain a belt of mobile dune habitat: a necessary response to coastal erosion.
A project by Sefton Council to tackle the problems of grass and scrub encroachment on fixed dune
and slack habitat at Ainsdale and Birkdale, with a project on the Birkdale Sandhills to introduce
mowing and grazing management with improved public access.
The need to find a long-term solution across several ownerships to the eventual loss of frontal
woodlands at Freshfield and how this can be managed to ensure the conservation of nature and
landscape.
The continuation of the work programme of the Sefton Coast Woodlands Forest Plan and its review
by 2012
A project, led by RSPB, for the creation of new habitat at Marshside from the former sand extraction
works linked to access and interpretation.
Coastwide projects for the conservation of dune heath and acid grasslands involving several golf
courses, private landowners and RAF Woodvale.
A coastwide project for the management of scrub on fixed dunes, heaths and slacks involving a
coordinated approach to grazing and the use of scrub as biomass-fuel.
Continuation of specific initiatives for habitat and species listed in the North Merseyside Biodiversity
Action Plan.
The establishment of good communication and networking between the Sefton Coast Partnership,
Merseyside Biodiversity Partnership, Merseyside BioBank and individuals to improve the recording and
reporting of biodiversity interest.
Conservation challenges
The strategy is also a vehicle for discussion on conservation challenges and concepts. In a number of areas
the strategy will seek to maintain discussion and support research and evidence –gathering projects to
encourage a consensus-led approach to decision making.
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ITEM NO. 8
APPENDIX A
Address for correspondence: Sefton Coast Partnership, Biodiversity Project Officer, Ainsdale Discovery
Centre Complex, The Promenade, Shore Road, Southport, PR8 2QB
E-mail: [email protected] , Phone: 0151 934 2967
Background information is available on www.seftoncoast.org.uk/index_consultnature.html
Summary –draft Nature Conservation Strategy 2007
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