Pressures on sea cliffs - summary

A number of actions combine to 'squeeze' natural and semi-natural cliff and cliff top habitat into a ever narrowing zone. These include several different elements but can be broken down broadly into two types, those which cause direct destruction of the habitat and those which modify it:

1. Infrastructure development, including hotels providing a 'room with a sea view', intensive agriculture, recreation and the coastal protection structures designed to prevent erosion, have all taken their toll. In some areas loss of semi-natural habitat has been considerable;
2. Other, land-use changes such as grazing management, which may be important to the survival of specialist plants and animals can have negative impacts, especially when animals are removed from the cliff.

A summary of the main pressures affecting sea cliffs is given below.

Direct habitat loss:

• Agricultural intensification, including reseeding and conversion of cliff top grassland to arable cultivation;
• Housing and tourist development;
• Building roads and other infrastructure including industrial development;
• Aggregate extraction from coastal quarries;
• Car parks and caravan sites;

Tourism and recreation:

• Trampling leading to cliff top gully erosion;
• Horse riding;
• Fires;
• Disturbance, including rock climbing.

Engineering and related issues:

• Coastal protection structures;
• Remedial engineering, including drainage and slope stabilisation;
• Climate and sea level change;
• The importance of storms.

Plants and plant communities, including grazing related issues:

• Changes in grazing management including a decrease or cessation of grazing leading to scrub development;
• Invasive/alien species e.g. Pteridium aquilinum;
• Acid deposition;
• Eutrophication & pollution;
• The importance of desiccation.