Norfolk Coast Partnership Member Organisations
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CELEB 3 RAT 01 IN -2 G 4 2 9 0 9 Y 1 E A N R A S I O D R Norfolk Coast F A T U 20 H G YEARS E T N S O A R O F C O L GUARDIANK FREE guide to an area of outstanding natural beauty 2013 GET AROUND Discover and enjoy Coasthopper offers, competitions and walks CONNECT Help NWT appeal to join marshes ENJOY Events, Recipes, Art MARINE MARVELS SEALIFE SPECIAL 2 A SPECIAL PLACE NORFOLK COAST GUARDIAN 2013 NORFOLKNOR COAST THE NORFOLK COAST PPARTNERSART PARTNERSHIP NaturalNat England South Wing at Fakenham Fire Station, NorfolkNo County Council Norwich Road, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 8BB T: 01328 850530 NoNorth Norfolk District Council E: offi[email protected] BoroughBorou Council of King’s Lynn W: www.norfolkcoastaonb.org.uk & West Norfolk Manager: Tim Venes Great Yarmouth Borough Council Policy and partnership officer: Estelle Hook Broads Authority Communications officer: Lucy Galvin Environment Agency Community and external funding English Heritage officers: Kate Dougan & Grant Rundle Business support assistant: Steve Tutt Norfolk Wildlife Trust Funding Partners National Trust DEFRA; Norfolk County Council; RSPB North Norfolk District Council; Country Land & Business Association Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk National Farmers Union and Great Yarmouth Borough Council Community Representatives AONB Common Rights Holders The Norfolk Coast Guardian is published by Countrywide Publications on behalf of the Norfolk Wells Harbour Commissioners Coast Partnership. Editor: Lucy Galvin. Designed and produced by: Countrywide Publications The Wash and North Norfolk Coast T: 01502 725870. Printed by Iliffe Print on sustainable newsprint. European Marine Site Management Always stay safe by the sea. Look out for our Coastguard safety tips Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication. However, the publishers can accept no Scheme responsibility for any effects arising there from. Views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of throughout this year’s Guardian the Norfolk Coast Partnership member organisations. All material copyright Norfolk Coast Partnership 2013. NCP 03/13 – 60K Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Articles available in large print: please contact Path National Trail 01328 850530 or via website www.norfolkcoastaonb.org.uk NORFOLK COAST GUARDIAN 2013 A SPECIAL PLACE 3 2001 2006 The Coasthopper gets a full page advert and New Sustainable Development Fund for the competition coast launches 2003 Sea level rise and flood defence special features 2005 Biodiversity including chalk rivers and an eastern ecological network 1994 2009 Guardian launches with a mission to help its Focus on geology of coast – and 60 years readers keep the Norfolk Coast special of UK protected areas 1995 2010 Events guide doubles to four pages Coastal heroes – the many people who help out on the coast 1998 2008 Celebrating 40 years as an area of outstanding Plans to create Brancaster Millennium Activity 2012 natural beauty Centre reported Focus on local foods and products 20 years of Guardianship n 1994 the first issue of the Norfolk Coast make the most of and protect the coast. Guardian hit the coast. Back then, the Quite a lot has changed since 1994. Now Norfolk Wildlife Trust was still the Nor- there’s one of the best rural bus services in the folk Naturalists’ Trust, traffic was ‘bumper- country, the Coasthopper, operating all year Ito-bumper’, and getting along the coast on a bus round and helping half a million passengers was newly possible – but only in summer, and to enjoy the coast and lower their carbon then not on a Monday or a Saturday. emissions at the same time, and a national- Steve Tutt of the Norfolk Coast Partnership ly-networked cycleway. helped deliver those first Guardians, and is still But in some ways it’s the fact that many delivering today. The paper, he says, helped bring things haven’t changed that we can cel- together the many and diverse interests along the ebrate, 20 years on. Local businesses still coast: “People were doing different things in dif- thrive; there’s a stronger than ever partner- ferent areas - this helped show that the coast was ship of organisations looking after the coast; all one and that they could work together.” and underpinning all of this the magnificent Partner organisations are still fully involved landscape and nature continue to inspire and and there’s never any shortage of fascinating top- amaze. ics to write about and photograph - or of readers. Over the past two decades, the Guardian, on be- Keep up to date. half of the Norfolk Coast Partnership has helped Follow us on Twitter! @NorfolkAONB well over a million readers understand, enjoy, ALL AT SEA This year’s Norfolk Coast Guardian has a marine theme. As climate change increases sea level, temperature to the food web – for instance fewer sand eels – and acid levels, it’s more important than ever to means severe consequences for fish, seabirds and understand the role the earth’s oceans play. mammals. A place to treasure and protect Acidification is caused by the sea taking in There is also a huge knowledge gap. Much is The Norfolk Coast is unlike anywhere else. For all occasionally give a little time, the ‘Norfolk Coast man made carbon dioxide. About 30–40% of still not known about the sea, including information those who enjoy it or make their living in it, it’s a Friends’ network could be for you. the carbon dioxide released by humans into the on the behaviour of invasive species like jellyfish, very precious place. To find out more contact Kate Dougan atmosphere dissolves into the oceans, rivers and harmful algal blooms – and, on land, the effect on This newspaper comes to you from the Norfolk ([email protected]) or Grant Rundle lakes. Here it reacts to make the water more acid. the economy of the changes that will be needed in Coast Partnership. We represent a range of key ([email protected]) or telephone This increasing acidity is adversely affecting marine the fishing industry. organisations (see list on page 2) that work 01328 850530. life and food chains. It is feared that coral reefs will together to look after the coast. Special place: photographs from Norfolk be the first complete man-made extinction of an We’ve tried to do justice to the vast riches of the Protected by being an area of outstanding Coast community photographers - see page 19 eco system. sea with features on underwater nature (page 4); natural beauty, the Norfolk coast is recognised in for course details. Clockwise from top left: Lisa Temperature rise in the sea is leading to the how to enjoy the beach – and clean up (page 6); law as being as important as a national park. It’s Browne, Jo Ashford, Jane Stickler, Pat Heard, Ron shifting of fish populations. For instance, near best walks and a new coast path (page 8); the one of the family of protected areas which extend Wetherell, Christine Warner and Gwen Braybrook. the Norfolk Coast there are declining yields of major Cley appeal; art and history. across the UK – and world. cod and increasing sea bass and anchovy. This You’ll also find a great competition on page 17, If you have a passion for the Norfolk coast can be an opportunity for fishermen, but can also and an offer for Coasthopper users; some and would like to be involved, are keen to lead to conflict with other countries following their tasty local recipes and as ever pages of interesting learn more about this special area or happy to traditional catches to new waters. Also, disturbance events from page 20. 4 MARINE NATURE NORFOLK COAST GUARDIAN 2013 Little Tern with chicks RSPB / KevinSimmonds Wonders under Coastal species work hard to survive in the marine environment, and are vulnerable to disturbance – especially when reproducing. Here we take a look at two that need our help and understanding. Space to breed From the tiny tern to the UK’s larg- the open sea and return regularly to est mammal, the seal, marine animals ‘haul out’ on land where they rest, breeding on the beach face many moult and breed. They frequently dangers. travel over 100 km, with foraging Little terns are small coastal birds trips lasting anywhere between 1 and that look like paper planes delicately 30 days. Compared with other times zipping through the sky. The Nor- of the year, grey seals spend longer folk Coast’s little terns make up the hauled out during their annual largest colony in Europe, beginning moult (March - April) and during to spread their nesting sites along their breeding season (between Oc- Above: Seasearch coordinator Dawn Watson records the the coast, all the way from Holme to tober and January). Resting haulout rich marine life off the coast and right – Little Cuttlefish, Scolt Head as well as other coastal sites are usually on remote coasts or bumblebee sized marvel Rob Spray / Seasearch sites. beaches that offer good access to Overall, Norfolk supports a sig- the open sea. In general, grey seals Personal perspectives from two workers close too sealife nificant population of the birds, are highly sensitive to disturbance currently an amber listed species of by humans, hence their preference conservation concern. So one job at for remote breeding sites. Approxi- the top of the RSPB list is to make mately 36% of the world’s grey seals Looking after sure that these colonies are well pro- breed in the UK, so we need to look tected. after them. Norfolk is lucky to have Little terns lay their eggs on the some - about 90% breed at colonies beach and so are incredibly vulner- in Scotland.