Action needed to save coastline of Wales
Action is needed now to enable Wales to adapt to rising sea levels -a new National Trust report highlights challenges ahead on Welsh coast.
Audiostream:
A new report by the National Trust -”Shifting Shores” - shows that more than seventy percent of its coastline in Wales, much of it internationally renowned, could be severely affected by coastal erosion and flooding in the next 100 years. Over 143 miles (230 km) of the Welsh coast, or one in six miles, is now in the care of the National Trust.
With sea level rise of up to one metre predicted by 2100, and with climate change leading to more severe storm events, the National Trust Wales forecasts that three quarters of the coastline it looks after could lose land by erosion over the next century. 66 National Trust coastal sites -covering a total of 1572 hectares- are at risk of flooding and two sites are vulnerable to combined tidal and river flooding within the next century.
Central to the Shifting Shores-report is the Trust’s call for policy-makers to take urgent action to put in place coherent, long-term planning to address the massive impacts of future sea level rise and to enable affected communities, businesses and natural environments to adapt. The report draws on the Trust’s experience as the UK’s largest owner of coastline and highlights issues to be addressed by the Welsh Assembly Government’s plans for adapting to climate change, and forthcoming legislation for the marine environment.
Sites managed by the National Trust which could be affected include the Stackpole Estate, location of the popular Bosherston Lily Ponds; Cemlyn lagoon on Anglesey, an important wildlife site; dune systems on the Gower peninsula and historic sea forts such as Dinas Dinlle near Llandwrog. Beaches, including the stunning Marloes Sands in Pembrokeshire, may disappear; whilst features like coastal footpaths will need to be moved inland. (National Trust)
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