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Review of the West Dorset Coast Fossil Collecting Code of Conduct, and Recording Scheme 1999 to 2010

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Review of the West Dorset coast fossil collecting code of conduct, and recording scheme 1999 to 2010 This is a consultation – we want your views. There is a response questionnaire within the appendices and in order to tabulate responses, we would appreciate it if you could reply through that form. Contents Page Executive summary 2 Background 4 The need for a code and why just West Dorset? 5 The core of the code 6 The review of the code Part 1 – the quality of the site 7 Part 2 – the recording scheme 13 Has the code answered the concerns and issues raised by the code working 15 group in 1999? Criticisms of the code 16 Issues and recommendations 17 Discussion: the rationale behind the code and how the review informs it 25 Conclusions 29 Appendices Appendix 1: All specimens. Appendix 2: The re classification of specimens. Appendix 3: Category 1 specimens and where are they now. Appendix 4: Specimens acquired by the Collecting Cultures project. Appendix 5: The definitions of scientific importance. Appendix 6: Consultation list Appendix 7: Questionnaire Appendix 8: Plates This is the first part of the review and has been undertaken by Richard Edmonds, Earth Science Manager with the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site Team, in consultation with the Science and Conservation Advisory Group (SCAG) and the West Dorset fossil collecting code group. The responses to the paper will be considered by both groups as the second stage of the review, with the third stage being the adoption of a reviewed code of conduct following that consultation. The requirement for this review was identified in the Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site Management Plan 2009-2014 under Aim 2 ‘To conserve and enhance the Site and its setting for science, education and public enjoyment’ , policy number 2.6 (page 47) and is also discussed in the issues and opportunities section on page 26. Date of publication: November 2010 Responses to this review must be submitted by the end of April 2011. 1 Consultation executive summary The West Dorset fossil collecting code of conduct (the code) was developed by a working group with representation from all interests and, following a period of consultation, was adopted in the late 1990’s. It applies to the coast between Lyme Regis and Burton Bradstock or stratigraphically, the Lower and part of the Middle Jurassic. The code has been accepted by UNESCO as appropriate management for this type of site through the Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site Management Plan. This is an exceptional site; a rapidly eroding coastal section that is the source of internationally important fossils contained within an internationally significant geological section maintained by spectacular coastal processes, principally, massive landslides. The priorities of the code are that fossils should be recovered before they are destroyed by the very processes that expose them; landslides and storms, and that everyone should have access to information about what is being found. Specimens of key scientific importance should be offered to accredited museums if they are to be donated or sold. Collecting in situ is restricted and the fossils within the foreshore ledges or cliff sections may only be removed with permission from the landowner or Natural England. That said; specimens (principally vertebrates and large crinoid slabs) at immediate risk of being destroyed by the sea or found by others may be extracted and retrospective permission sought. The code recognises the essential role that collectors, notably local collectors, have always played in the recovery of fossils, from Joseph and Mary Anning some 200 years ago to those of today, who are still making new discoveries. However, less than 10% of the specimens defined as being of ‘key scientific importance’ have found their way into accredited museum collections. The working group knew that this would be a problem; the issues are complex and discussed in the main document. It is important to recognise that despite the high collecting effort, these specimens are rescued ‘ just in time’ as they can only be found once the process of erosion is acting upon them. The coast, particularly around Charmouth and Lyme Regis, is a focus for major educational activities; several museums/heritage centres and individuals lead numerous guided walks for schools and the general public, throughout the year. This is an entirely sustainable activity in terms of the site in that the common fossils are regularly renewed by the massive natural erosion rates at work on the coast. Many geologists interest in the subject was sparked at a young age by a visit to this coast. The promotion of the Earth sciences to the general public, including the economic benefits that it delivers, are important to the long term profile of what many would say is an often overlooked subject. A small minority of tourists do continue to clamber up and pick away at the cliffs but the scientific interest is unlikely to be damaged by such activity which also has no significant contribution to erosion rates. The concern is much more their safety. Two individuals have expressed, and continue to express concerns about the effectiveness of the code and the damage that they claim is being done to the coast by the current collecting effort but they offer no evidence to support their view other than a deeply flawed comparative analysis between the fossils recorded under the code and those recovered from the nearby Charmouth bypass. There are many in the academic community that support the work of collectors but there are almost certainly others that do have concerns or reservations about the level of collecting effort along this coast and aspects of the code. A key objective of this consultation is to canvass the full range of opinion, principally from within the academic community. 2 Are the priorities of the working group correct? Is it better that the specimens are recovered, even if they remain in private hands, than to seek a more restrictive approach? Is co-operation preferable to coercion? It is difficult to imagine how a more restrictive approach that might lead to loss of co-operation, good will or trust with collectors, would improve the chances of important specimens, particularly vertebrates, being rescued. Is there an alternative, more effective, practical and affordable way to achieve the objectives set out in the code or alternative objectives that you have identified? This is a robust site subject to high erosion rates. Collecting effort of ex situ fossils is high but the site remains in ‘favourable condition’ and research can be undertaken. Would you agree or disagree with that statement? What is the evidence to support claims of damage to the scientific interest within this site? Obviously these are potentially complex questions; the condition of the site can be interpreted very subjectively while the quality of the site is changing all the time, principally due to the time of year and weather conditions. A visit to Charmouth in the height of the summer will reveal very different numbers and types of fossils than a similar visit on or just after a major winter storm. On a longer term basis, the huge Black Ven Landslide of 1958/9 has now largely been eroded away and the numbers of fossils coming from it have greatly declined. On the other hand, the Spittles slip of May 2008 has brought down a huge volume of Shales with Beef and as a result, a different fauna is currently being uncovered and rescued. The scientific interests vary; stratigraphers are interested in examining strata and collecting specimens in situ in the field. A vertebrate palaeontologist, in contrast, will typically work on specimens held in museum collections built up over the last 200 years or more, specimens which have been recovered by academics and collectors alike and who have open access to the sites in which the fossils are found. The main review document and appendices contain observations, issues, recommendations and discussion to inform this consultation and we welcome your views so please respond, ideally by addressing the questions in appendix 7. Please respond to Richard Edmonds, Earth Science Manager, Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site team, by the end of April 2011. Respond to: C/O Environmental Services, Dorset County Council, County Hall, Dorchester. E-mail: [email protected]. 3 Background The West Dorset coast between Lyme Regis and Hive Beach, Burton Bradstock, the area covered by the West Dorset coast Fossil Collecting Code of Conduct (the code), is the richest source of fossil reptiles, fish and insects of Lower Lias age anywhere in the world (Nomination of the Dorset and East Devon coast for inclusion in the World Heritage List). It also displays a spectacular sequence of rock strata which, when combined with the fossil fauna, provides a superb record through the Lower and part of the Middle Jurassic periods of time. Unsurprisingly the coast contains a rich mosaic of overlapping Geological Conservation Review (GCR) sites for stratigraphy, palaeontology and geomorphology (Table 1) and these interests are legally protected within the West Dorset Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It mostly lies within a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for wildlife interests under the European Habitats Regulations and forms part of the Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site (WHS). GCR GCR Name Block Name 51 Burton Cliff & Cliff Hill Road Aalenian-Bajocian stratigraphy Section Stratigraphy 87 Pinhay Bay to Fault Corner Hettangian, Sinemurian and Pliensbachian stratigraphy 251 Seatown to Watton Cliff Toarcian stratigraphy 253 East Cliff Toarcian stratigraphy 1330 Watton Cliff Bathonian stratigraphy Palaeontology 794 Charmouth Palaeoentomology 916 Lyme Regis Jurassic-Cretaceous Reptilia 2952 Lyme Regis Mesozoic-Tertiary Fish 2901 Watton Cliff Mesozoic-Tertiary Fish/Amphibia 546 Watton Cliff Mesozoic Mammals Geomorphology 1321 Black Ven Mass Movement 1800 Chesil Beach Coastal geomorphology 2901 Golden Cap-Lyme Regis Coastal geomorphology Table 1: The Geological Conservation Review sites within the West Dorset Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest.
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