Words & Pictures - Mark Deane
The line where land meets
sea and skirts Wales' 1,000 miles of coast is the inter-tidal zone. This
is the part of the shore which lies between the high and low tides, from
the lichens at the top of the shore, through to the kelps at the bottom.
It is home to many varieties
of seaweeds, starfish, shellfish, crabs, sponges, sea slugs and
anemones. Each plant and creature lives in its specific habitat on the
shore, whether a rock pool rich in seaweeds, boulders with assorted
crabs, sponges and sea squirts or mud and sand flats with myriads of
worms and shells or open rocky coasts with barnacles and mussels.
Each community is different,
revealing subtle variations in the environmental conditions which give
rise to it.
The UK
Government is required by the European Union Habitats Directive to
undertake measures for safeguarding biodiversity, including the
management of marine Special Areas of Conservation (SACs).
The
phase 1 inter-tidal survey conducted by the Countryside Council for
Wales (CCW), aims to map biology and the associated rock or sediment,
based on distinct marine inter-tidal communities of animals and plants
found around the coast of Wales.
This is the first time such an extensive project has been set up to
survey the whole of the coastline of Wales and illustrate it through
detailed maps and site reports.
The
surveys are undertaken between April and October and can be carried out
two hours either side of low water on a spring tide.
Features of the shore are drawn or traced using aerial photographs. A
team of marine biologists then works along the shore to identify the
habitats and marine inter-tidal communities and add the detail to a
sketch map.
Target
notes are written where habitats or communities cover too small an area
to map, or to describe rare and scarce species, non-native species,
nationally important habitats (biotopes), specialised habitats and
artificial substrata.
Further information which is collected includes shore type, tidal
currents, and exposure to waves, human uses and impacts.
The
coastline of Wales is widely varied and can be difficult to access. It
ranges from large muddy areas, such as the Severn Estuary, to slippery
cobbled shores affected by strong tidal currents, like the Menai Strait,
or such rugged off-shore islands as Skomer and Ramsey in Pembrokeshire.
Effective and consistent survey of the shores of Wales has required a
team of marine biologists who are practical and able to cross rough
terrain and access difficult landscape by boat.
Surveyors have be sensitive to other issues such as breeding seal and
seabird populations, along with the ability to get up in the small hours
to catch the early tides !
Wales
is fortunate in having some of the least polluted estuaries and coastal
waters in the UK. In addition this varied coast provides habitats for a
broad range of marine wildlife communities.
There
are many species of plants and animals that have their limits of
distribution in Wales and can be used as good indicators of climatic
change.
Also
occurring are nationally rare and scarce species, which are important
nationally for their nature conservation value.
The
inter-tidal survey undertakes assessments to consider the quality of the
community in terms of species richness, size, presence or rare or scarce
species and rare or scarce communities.
Consultations during casework and other developments in the inter-tidal
survey can help to develop best practice and avoid damaging fragile
communities.
The
survey has also created a baseline for monitoring and the development of
management strategies. It has been used to develop a sensitivity index
to oil contamination and therefore can be used for oil spill contingency
planning.
The
maps produced help local authorities, national park wardens, nature
reserve managers, coastal planners and others to be more aware about the
seashore for which they have responsibility.
After
3 years the physical survey has been completed and the CCW is analysing
the data with a view to producing a detailed report and recommendations.
To get in
touch with us please use our Contact/Enquiry form, alternatively the numbers or email below:
Tel : 01348 871938
Mob: 07816 640684
