Coasts and seas of the United Kingdom Region 12 Wales: Margam to Little Orme edited by J.H. Barne, C.F. Robson, S.S. Kaznowska & J.P. Doody Joint Nature Conservation Committee Monkstone House, City Road Peterborough PE1 1JY UK ©JNCC 1995 This report has been produced by the Coastal Directories Project of the JNCC on behalf of the project Steering Group JNCC Coastal Directories Project Team Project directors Dr J.P. Doody, Dr N.C. Davidson Project management and co-ordination J.H. Barne, C.F. Robson Editing and publication S.S. Kaznowska, F.J. Wright Information systems M. Jones Administration & editorial assistance C.A. Smith, J.A. Mitchell, R. Keddie, E. Leck, S. Palasiuk The project receives guidance from a Steering Group which has more than 200 members. More detailed information and advice comes from the members of the Core Steering Group, which is composed as follows: Dr. J.M. Baxter Scottish Natural Heritage R.J. Bleakley Department of the Environment, Northern Ireland R. Bradley The Association of Sea Fisheries Committees of England and Wales Dr. K. Hiscock Joint Nature Conservation Committee Prof. G.A.D. King National Coasts and Estuaries Advisory Group Prof. S.J. Lockwood MAFF Directorate of Fisheries Research Dr J.P. Doody Joint Nature Conservation Committee C.R. Macduff-Duncan Esso UK (on behalf of the UK Offshore Operators Association) Dr. D.J. Murison Scottish Office Agriculture & Fisheries Department M.L. Pickles National Rivers Authority Dr. H.J. Prosser Welsh Office Dr. J.S. Pullen WWF UK (Worldwide Fund for Nature) Dr. G.P. Radley English Nature Dr. P.C. Reid Plymouth Marine Laboratory M.J. Roberts Water Resources and Marine, Department of the Environment S.L. Soffe Countryside Council for Wales M.L. Tasker Joint Nature Conservation Committee R.G. Woolmore Countryside Commission Recommended citation for this volume: Barne, J.H., Robson, C.F., Kaznowska, S.S., & Doody, J.P., eds. 1995. Coasts and seas of the United Kingdom. Region 12 Wales: Margam to Little Orme. Peterborough, Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Recommended citation for a chapter in this volume (example): Davidson, N.C. 1995. Chapter 4.1 Estuaries. In: Barne, J.H., Robson, C.F., Kaznowska, S.S., & Doody, J.P., eds. 1995. Coasts and seas of the United Kingdom. Region 12 Wales: Margam to Little Orme. Peterborough, Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Region 1: ISBN 1 873701 75 6 Region 10: ISBN 1 873701 84 5 Region 2: ISBN 1 873701 76 4 Region 11: ISBN 1 873701 85 3 Region 3: ISBN 1 873701 77 2 Region 12: ISBN 1 873701 86 1 Region 4: ISBN 1 873701 78 0 Region 13: ISBN 1 873701 87 x Region 5: ISBN 1 873701 79 9 Region 14: ISBN 1 873701 88 8 Region 6: ISBN 1 873701 80 2 Region 15: ISBN 1 873701 89 6 Region 7: ISBN 1 873701 81 0 Region 16: ISBN 1 873701 90 x Region 8: ISBN 1 873701 82 9 Region 17: ISBN 1 873701 92 6 Region 9: ISBN 1 873701 83 7 Set of 17 regions: ISBN 1 873701 91 8 2 Contents Foreword 5 How to use this book 6 Acknowledgements 7 Chapter 1 Introduction Dr J.P. Doody 9 1.1 The Coastal Directories project 9 1.2 Regional summary 13 Chapter 2 Geology and physical environment Dr C.D.R Evans 19 2.1 Coastal geology 19 2.2 Offshore environment 23 2.3 Wind and water 29 2.4 Sediment transport 34 2.5 Sea-level rise and flooding 37 2.6 Coastal landforms 38 Chapter 3 Terrestrial coastal habitats 41 3.1 Cliffs and cliff-top vegetation Dr T.C.D. Dargie 41 3.2 Sand dunes Dr T.C.D. Dargie 44 3.3 Vegetated shingle structures and shorelines Dr R.E. Randall 48 3.4 Coastal lagoons Dr R.S.K. Barnes, Dr R.N. Bamber 51 3.5 Coastal grazing marsh Dr H.T. Gee 53 3.6 Saltmarsh Dr M.I. Hill 57 Chapter 4 Marine and estuarine environments 61 4.1 Estuaries Dr N.C. Davidson 61 4.2 The sea bed R.A. Irving 65 4.3 Plankton Dr J.M. Colebrook, A.W.G. John 71 Chapter 5 Important species 75 5.1 Terrestrial lower plants N.G. Hodgetts 75 5.2 Flowering plants and ferns V.M. Morgan 80 5.3 Land and freshwater M.S. Parsons, A.P. Foster 85 5.4 Rare sea-bed species Dr W.G. Sanderson 92 5.5 Exploited sea-bed species Dr. M.G. Pawson, C.F. Robson 97 5.6 Amphibians and reptiles Dr M.J.S. Swan 102 5.7 Fish: exploited sea fish Dr. M.G. Pawson, C.F. Robson 107 5.8 Fish: salmon, sea trout Dr. M. Aprahamian, C.F. Robson 111 5.9 Fish: other species Dr G.W. Potts, S.E. Swaby 113 5.10 Seabirds M.L. Tasker 116 5.11 Other breeding birds D.M. Craddock, D.A. Stroud 120 5.12 Migrant and wintering D.M. Craddock, D.A. Stroud 124 5.13 Land mammals Dr C.E. Turtle 129 5.14 Seals C.D. Duck 133 5.15 Whales, dolphins and porpoises Dr P.G.H. Evans 137 3 Chapter 6 Archaeology and human history A.B. Gale 141 Chapter 7 Protected coastal sites R.G Keddie 151 7.1 Introduction 151 7.2 Sites designated under international conventions and directives 153 7.3 Sites established under national statute 156 7.4 Sites identified by statutory agencies 162 7.5 Other types of protected site 165 Chapter 8 Land use, infrastructure and coastal defence 171 8.1 Introduction M.J. Dunbar, S.J. Everett, S.L. Fowler 171 8.2 Land use M.J. Dunbar, S.J. Everett, S.L. Fowler 172 8.3 Infrastructure M.J. Dunbar, S.J. Everett, S.L. Fowler, 175 C.A. Crumpton, M.J. Goodwin 8.4 Coastal defence M.J. Dunbar, S.J. Everett, S.L. Fowler 183 Chapter 9 Human activities 187 9.1 Fisheries C.F. Robson 187 9.2 Mariculture C.F. Robson 196 9.3 Wildfowling, grazing and collection of other plants Dr N.C. Davidson, D.A. Stroud, C.A. Crumpton, 201 and animals M.J. Goodwin 9.4 Quarrying and landfilling C.A. Crumpton, M.J. Goodwin 204 9.5 Marine aggregate extraction, dredge spoil C.A. Crumpton, M.J. Goodwin 207 9.6 Oil and gas development C.A. Crumpton, M.J. Goodwin, J.H. Barne 211 9.7 Water quality and effluent discharges C.A. Crumpton, M.J. Goodwin 213 9.8 Leisure and tourism M.J. Dunbar, S.J. Everett, S.L. Fowler 218 Chapter 10 Coastal management S.L. Fowler, M.J. Dunbar, S.J. Everett 225 10.1 Coastal management in the UK 225 10.2 Regional coastal management groups and initiatives 227 Appendix A.1 Frequently cited contact organisations and addresses 237 A.2 Local planning authorities 238 A.3 Core reading list 238 A.4 Contributing authors 239 4 Foreword Information is vital for sound policy formulation. Decision reflecting the extent of the interplay between the coastal makers at national and local level need to know more than environment and human activities. These organisations just the scale, location and importance of natural resources included the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, that are of value to humans. They have to understand how the Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department, human activities affect the value of those resources and how the National Rivers Authority, the Countryside to conduct those activities in an environmentally sustainable Commission, the Scottish Office, the Welsh Office, the way. This is true for virtually every activity that impinges Department of the Environment, the Sea Fisheries on the natural environment. In the coastal zone the Committees, English Nature, Scottish Natural Heritage and complexity of the relationships between the physical and the Countryside Council for Wales, together with local biological systems adds another dimension to the problems authorities, voluntary conservation organisations and of formulating management policy. private companies (notably those in the oil industry, I am pleased, therefore, to be introducing the Coasts and through the UK Offshore Operators Association). I am also seas of the United Kingdom series. The Coastal Directories pleased to be able to acknowledge the contribution made by project, of which this series of seventeen regional reports, the staff of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. As covering the whole of the UK coast, is an important product, the work has evolved since the first meetings of the Steering has brought together an encyclopaedic range of information Group in 1990, the value of involving such a broad span of on our coastal resources and the human activities that are interests has been highlighted by the extent to which it has associated with them. Amongst the topics covered are the allowed new approaches and information sources to be basic geology of the coasts around the United Kingdom and identified. measures taken for coast defence and sea protection, the The regional reports will be of value to all who live and distribution and importance of the wildlife and habitats of work in the maritime areas of the UK, where informed our coasts and seas, including fish and fisheries, and the management is the key to the sustainable use of resources. climate and sea level changes to which they all are subject. The reports should become indispensible reference sources In addition to the value of the information itself, the way for organisations shouldering new or expanded the project has been run and the data collected has made an responsibilities for the management of marine Special Areas important contribution to the quality of the product.