'Suffolk's Changing Coast – making space for wildlife and people' says that we need to plan for the replacement of coastal habitats already lost to the sea through erosion and coastal squeeze – and for areas vulnerable to coastal change in the coming years. The report is written by Renny Henderson and Chris Durdin of the RSPB and endorsed by English Nature, the National Trust, Suffolk Wildlife Trust and the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership. It points out that saltmarsh on Suffolk’s estuaries is already eroding and that many of the coast’s freshwater wetlands are very vulnerable to coastal change.
 | | Sea Kale, by Malcolm Farrow |
Coastal change isn’t new to Suffolk – the town of Dunwich, which disappeared under the sea, is a well-known example. The coast has always changed naturally with sandy cliffs eroding as at Dunwich and shingle ridges forming (eg Orfordness), but climate change is increasing the pace of change. Over the last century, global sea levels have risen by about 20 centimetres and this is set to continue, made worse in eastern England by natural movements in the earth’s crust. The joint report points to solutions to coastal change in progress or already underway. • Estuary management strategies for the Rivers Alde/Ore, Deben and Blyth are being prepared by the Environment Agency. Local authority plans need to recognise the need to plan for new areas of wildlife habitat. • Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Hen Reedbed reserve on the Blyth estuary shows how new wetlands can be developed, benefiting bitterns, otters and water voles. • At the RSPB reserve on Havergate Island one compartment with poor sea walls has been encouraged to flood by the sea, a process known as managed realignment. This demonstrates that new saltmarsh can be created. • The National Trust and RSPB are jointly creating new heathland on former arable land at Dunwich, ahead of losses expected as Dunwich Cliffs slowly erode.
 | | Bittern, by Andy Hay, RSPB Images |
"New wildlife habitats are vital on the Suffolk coast, and planning for change is a great challenge for us all," said Richard Powell, RSPB regional director. "We call on all organisations working on the Suffolk coast to think actively about how they can help to plan for the new habitats that will ensure that the area can remain as vibrant and attractive as it is today." "No change is not an option on the Suffolk coast – as dramatically shown by recent saltwater floods at the joint RSPB and Suffolk Wildlife Trust reserve at Dingle Marshes," said Julian Roughton, SWT director. "It will remain attractive and valuable to wildlife, though different, and we have to start planning immediately for replacement freshwater habitats." "The National Trust is already planning for change on its properties on the Suffolk coast" said area manager Keith Turner. "At Dunwich we recognise that heathland will slowly disappear as the cliffs erode, so we are creating new heathland." "We have so many key habitats affected by coastal change in Suffolk - saltmarshes, intertidal flats, coastal lagoons, grazing marshes and reedbeds. If we want to retain a Suffolk coast rich in wildlife then we need to plan for the creation of wildlife habitats within our future coastline, and this approach is underpinned by obligations under European legislation," said Richard Rafe, Suffolk team manager for English Nature.
"Even National Nature Reserves, the country's most spectacular wildlife sites, are not immune to this change, and we are already planning to accommodate such change within our reserves at Benacre and Walberswick." "Thousands of residents and visitors appreciate the beauty of the Suffolk coast. This fine landscape and its special wildlife underpin scores of local businesses that depend on tourism for their livelihood," said Simon Hooton from the Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB Partnership. "Planned change can enhance the unique appeal of the Suffolk coast – do nothing and its special qualities will slowly and steadily disappear." | 
