environment

Posts Tagged ‘environment’

Consultation about designating the Devon Avon Estuary as a new Marine Conservation Zone

June 12th, 2018 | Author: Stuart Watts

DEFRA is consulting until 20th July 2018 about designating new Marine Conservation Zones, seeking any fresh information that might influence the decision. The summary sheet for the Avon Estuary proposal is available here – Devon Avon Estuary Factsheet

At present, the proposal does not include South Efford Marsh or the full extension of the Bass Nursery Zone out to Burgh Island.

The ACA, unsurprisingly, fully supports such a designation and our suggested modifications as a means of protecting the marine life of the estuary from unwarranted change, development or exploitation.

Our formal response is available for inspection here :- MCZ – Devon Avon Estuary

DEFRA reply – All responses will be considered before Ministers make their final decisions on which sites will be designated in the third tranche. We aim to designated this tranche within 12 months. Final decisions on which sites will be designated will take into account any relevant information submitted as part of this consultation. We will publish details of evidence received and a full Government response to these together with the final decisions on each site within 12 months. This will be placed on the consultations section of the Government web site.

An additional rationale for designating the estuary as an MCZ was sent to Natural England in early November 2018, as follows:-

Further to my original submission about designating the Avon Estuary in South Devon as a Marine Conservation Zone or MCZ (response I.D. = ANON- PGP8-UYCU-5), I hope it is not too late in the decision-making process to draw your attention to a feature of the estuary which I overlooked and which also was not mentioned explicitly in DEFRA’s Factsheet, although others may have mentioned it in their submissions.

This feature concerns the role of the inter-tidal salt marshes and mudflats of the estuary as important stores of ‘blue carbon’. As I’m sure your scientists at NE will readily acknowledge, these habitats are under constant threat from sea level rise, on the one hand, and development ’squeeze’, on the other. It becomes particularly important to conserve such carbon ’sinks’ in the face of climate change, irrespective of what individual species may dwell there. The following, italicised, passage succinctly presents the argument for conservation; it is taken from the website of BlueCarbonPortal.org.

‘Blue carbon’ is the carbon stored and sequestered in coastal ecosystems such as mangrove forests, seagrass meadows or inter-tidal salt marshes. These valuable ecosystems hold vast carbon reservoirs; they sequester atmospheric CO₂ through primary production, and then deposit it in their sediments. In fact, most blue carbon is found in the soils or sediments beneath the vegetation.

The rates of carbon sequestration and storage are comparable to (and often higher than) the sequestration rates in carbon-rich terrestrial ecosystems such as tropical rainforests or peatlands. Unlike most terrestrial systems, which reach soil carbon equilibrium within decades, deposition of carbon dioxide in coastal ecosystem sediment can continue over millennia. However, when these coastal ecosystems are degraded or destroyed they can become carbon dioxide sources due to the oxidization of biomass and organic soil.

Because coastal ecosystems do contain substantial amounts of carbon, and because this carbon is in danger of being released, they are important in mitigating climate change. Unfortunately, however, the rate of loss of mangroves, seagrasses and saltmarshes (driven mostly by human activities) is estimated to be among the highest of any ecosystem on the planet, prompting international interest in managing them more effectively for their carbon benefits.

Although the Avon Estuary’s contribution to carbon sequestration may be small on a planetary scale, that contribution strengthens the argument for its designation as a MCZ and for the inclusion of South Efford Marsh.

Posted in Main | Tags: blue carbon, environment, habitat, MCZ, salt marsh, South Efford marsh |

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Estuary and Bantham beach events

March 14th, 2018 | Author: Stuart Watts

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

I have received the following notice from the Outdoor swimming Society:-

We wanted to once again notify you of the Swoosh swimming event that will be taking place on the morning of Saturday 14th July 2018. Swimmers will be entering the water from 7.40am at Aveton Gifford and the last swimmers will be exiting the water at 10.15am at Bantham Beach. We are once again working very closely with Aveton Gifford Parish Council and the Bantham Estate on the event. We’ll be having another 6 swimmers fundraising again this year for the Aveton Gifford Community Swimming Pool. BOAT USERS BE PARTICULARLY AWARE OF SWIMMERS, PLEASE!

Separately, The Tribal Clash on Bantham beach will take place on the w/e of 7th/8th July 2018. Disruption of Bigbury traffic is unlikely but there will be lots going in Bantham! The estuary should not be affected.

Posted in FORTHCOMING EVENTS | Tags: Bantham Estate, beaches, environment, Tidal Road |

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SPOONBILL SEEN ON AVON ESTUARY

November 17th, 2017 | Author: Stuart Watts

See link:-

http://www.bigburycommunity.co.uk/spoonbill-on-the-avon-estuary/

Posted in Main | Tags: birds, environment |

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BEACH CLEAN: Bigbury-on-Sea

September 8th, 2017 | Author: Stuart Watts

If you’d like to help keep the beaches around the estuary free of rubbish, you can come along on Saturday 30th September at 10.00am for a 1 – hour beach clean. The event is being organised by Amanda Keetley from ‘Less Plastic’ in association with ‘Surfers against Sewage’ and is being supported by Venus cafe, who will be providing free tea/coffee for volunteers (please BYO reusable mug!).

Meet on the beach below the free (surfers) car park, at the bottom of Folly Hill at 10.00am. HW will be around 1350. Please come suitably attired and observe our usual safety precautions (see guidelines at http://auneconservation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/ACA-BEACH-CLEANS3.pdf). Gloves and bags will be provided.

Here is the link on Amanda’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/319088615222660

I hope to see you there!

Posted in Main | Tags: beach cleans, environment |

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