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Winterton and Horsey Dunes - summary and index
This site forms a critical element of the flood defence for the Norfolk Broads,
a large area of open water, freshwater marshes and reedbeds along a number of
rivers in Norfolk and Suffolk. The Broads are of International nature conservation
importance in their own right and support a tourist industry. The grazing marshes
associated with the Broads are in an Environmentally Sensitive Area.
The dunes are themselves an important feature of the coast, representing the
only significant area of decalcified sand dunes in southeast England. The site
is a candidate
Special Area of Conservation for sand
dune vegetation: 'Embryonic shifting dunes'; 'EU-Atlantic Decalcified
Fixed Dunes (Calluno-Ulicetea)' and 'Humid dunes slacks'. It also provides a
recreational asset and coastal landscape feature. They also support some of
the only extensive coastal dune heath in England.
The evolution of the coastline suggests that without intervention significant
areas of the hinterland would be subjected to flooding. In the longterm the
existence of this relict dune system is in doubt. Although new dune systems
can develop (see for example Bull
Island), two conditions are necessary:
- Conditions for sediment to accrete;
- A positive sediment supply.
Comment: In the case of Winterton there is no new sediment. Here
the survival of the nature conservation features and the dunes themselves will
require coastal defence structures to be maintained.
Note: A copy of the Executive
Summary for this CHaMP is included on the CD-ROM.
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