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Cardiff Bay - habitat loss
 The situation
in Cardiff Bay (see Figure opposite, after Doody
2001) illustrates the extent of loss of intertidal habitat. Proposals
to build an amenity barrage (approximate location shown in the Figure) provided
for the final stage in the complete destruction of the estuary with the passage
of a Bill through the UK Parliament. The opposition from the nature conservation
lobby which included the Statutory Agency (the Nature Conservancy Council, now
English Nature) was taken through both Houses of Parliament. Despite this opposition
the barrage was built and the freshwater lake created in 2001. A summary of
the conflicts and arguments has been published (Tyler
1996). Restoring habitat was part of the agreement and new wetlands are
being created nearby, though these will be different to the mudflats of Cardiff
Bay.
Caption:
Enclosure of tidal land in Cardiff bay showing the position of the barrage
completed in 2001.
Caveat: A report by the Auditor General for Wales provides a summary
of the costs and timing of the project. In March 1995 the Secretary of State
set a budget of £191 million for the project. This was increased in March
1999 and again in March 2000 when it stood at £213.4 million. Part of
this increased cost was needed to meet the creation of the Gwent Levels Wetland
Reserve (mitigation for the loss of intertidal areas of the enclosed estuary).
Additional capital investment needed to maintain water quality were estimated
at between £6 million and £7 million, suggesting an overall cost
for the project of some £220 million. Annual cost of running the Barrage
and the Bay stand in the region of £21.4.
References
Doody, J.P.
2001.
Coastal Conservation and Management: an Ecological Perspective. Kluwer, Academic Publishers, Boston, USA, 306 pp.
Conservation Biology Series, 13
Tyler, S.J.
1996.
The destruction of the Taff/Ely estuary: a conservationist viewpoint.
In: Studies in European Coastal Management, eds.Jones, P.S., Healy, M.G. & Williams, A.T.Samara Publishing Ltd., Cardigan, 275-280.
Abstract...
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