A Guide to the Management and Restoration of Coastal Vegetated Shingle By Dr Pat Doody and Dr Roland Randall May 2003 Contract No. MAR 05-03-002 English Nature A Guide to the Management and Restoration of Coastal Vegetated Shingle Contractors: Dr J. Pat Doody National Coastal Consultants 5 Green Lane BRAMPTON Huntingdon Cambs., PE28 4RE, UK Tel: 01480 392706 E-mail: [email protected] and Dr Roland E. Randall Monach Farm Ecological Surveys St Francis Toft HILTON Huntingdon Cambs, Tel: 01223 338949 E-mail: [email protected] Nominated Officer: Tim Collins EN Headquarters Peterborough Frontispiece: Dungeness - shingle extraction on the downdrift (eastern side) of the ness. The material is taken by lorries to nourish the beach to the west. Longshore drift moves it eastwards again providing protection for the nuclear power stations present on this tip of England - a never ending cycle of coastal protection? Page ii Acknowledgements: The authors would like to thank all the people who contributed to this report, most notably the local officers and site managers who gave freely of their time, including Mike Edgington, Simon Dunsford, Barry Yates, Rob Carver, Julie Hatcher, Brian Banks and Grant Lohoar. Thanks also to English Nature staff at Peterborough Tim Collins, Sue Reid, Sue Watt and also to Pippa Sneddon, Ian Agnew, Robin Fuller and John Packham for past and present involvement. A special thanks to Andrew Leader for sorting out the conflicts between PCs and Macs and for other IT help. All photographs are copyright of Dr J.P Doody or Dr R.E. Randall. Page iii Contents: Chapter 01 Introduction and aims.........................................................................................................................1 Definition and description.....................................................................................................................................1 Location ...............................................................................................................................................................2 Europe..............................................................................................................................................................................3 Great Britain .....................................................................................................................................................................3 Land Use, threats and conservation ....................................................................................................................4 Project aims .........................................................................................................................................................7 1. The report...................................................................................................................................................8 2. An electronic guide.....................................................................................................................................8 References...........................................................................................................................................................9 Chapter 02 Coastal vegetated shingle, geomorphology, natural processes and ecology ............................10 Geomorphology .................................................................................................................................................10 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................................10 Landform types and coastal processes .............................................................................................................10 Sediment patterns ..........................................................................................................................................................12 Sea-level change............................................................................................................................................................13 Hydrology and soils of coastal shingle...............................................................................................................13 Hydrology .......................................................................................................................................................................13 Soils................................................................................................................................................................................13 Vegetated shingle ..............................................................................................................................................14 Vegetated shingle communities .....................................................................................................................................14 Vegetation succession ...................................................................................................................................................17 Invertebrate communities on shingle .............................................................................................................................20 Birds of coastal shingle and lagoons..............................................................................................................................20 References.........................................................................................................................................................20 Chapter 03 Flood defence and coastal protection - the role of shingle beaches and structures .................22 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................22 Shingle as a natural defence .............................................................................................................................22 Cheniers as natural sea defence structures...................................................................................................................24 Sediment budgets and coastal defence.............................................................................................................24 Groynes and artificial breakwaters.................................................................................................................................25 Beach re-profiling sea defence activities........................................................................................................................26 Beach nourishment ........................................................................................................................................................26 Beach recycling ..............................................................................................................................................................26 Offshore aggregate extraction ...........................................................................................................................27 Offshore dredging - marine aggregate licenses.................................................................................................27 England ..........................................................................................................................................................................28 Scotland..........................................................................................................................................................................28 Wales..............................................................................................................................................................................28 Impact on the marine environment ....................................................................................................................29 References.........................................................................................................................................................29 Chapter 04 Protected sites ..................................................................................................................................31 Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) ........................................................................................................................31 National Nature Reserve ................................................................................................................................................31 Local Nature Reserve.....................................................................................................................................................31 Natura 2000 sites ...........................................................................................................................................................31 Chapter 05 Pressures and threats ......................................................................................................................34 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................34 Habitat loss - excavation....................................................................................................................................35