Heritage Coast boundaries are now on the NBN Gateway
Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside…as the abundance of marine and coastal wildlife records on the NBN Gateway proves! Now the addition of a new geographic dataset to the Gateway means that you can search for wildlife records within Heritage Coast boundaries.
Heritage Coasts represent stretches of our most beautiful, undeveloped coastline. They are defined by a formal agreement between the relevant maritime local authorities and Natural England or the Countryside Council for Wales. The purpose of Heritage Coasts is to protect their natural beauty and conserve their wildlife, habitats and heritage features, while also facilitating public enjoyment and taking account of the economic and social needs of their local communities.
One stretch of Heritage Coast has achieved these aims so successfully that it scooped a prestigious national award last month. On the 8th November at the UK European Landscape Convention conference, Durham Heritage Coast was announced as the winner of the first ever UK Landscape Award. Once one of the most polluted coastlines in Britain, the Durham Coast has been transformed from black beaches covered in colliery spoil to a pristine coastal landscape thanks to a dedicated local partnership and support from a range of sources including the Heritage Lottery Fund and Natural England. These changes have encouraged coastal access, fostered strong engagement and ownership by communities, and delivered considerable benefits for biodiversity.
Sponsored by Defra, the UK Landscape Award was created by the European Landscape Convention to promote the value of landscapes and their benefits to local communities. Durham Heritage Coast will now go forward as the UK’s entry to the Landscape Awards of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, and the European winner will be decided in March 2011.
English Heritage Coast boundaries are now on the Gateway and the Welsh boundaries will be added later this month. About a third of the English coastline and almost half of the Welsh coastline is defined as Heritage Coast. So, whether you’re interested in puffins in Pembrokeshire, lobsters on Lundy or seals in the Scillies – have a look on the Gateway to discover the wildlife of our Heritage Coasts.