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Management of visitors and other recreational pressures
Considerable pressure can be exerted on shingle areas by public recreational
use. Many forms of recreational and associated activities affect
most of the more important sites. Two forms of damage can occur:
- direct effects on the shingle surface associated with access;
- indirect effects caused by disturbance, mostly to nesting
birds.
Controlling these activities is a major management concern, which can be addressed
by a combination of control and education. The former may be particularly valuable
when preventing access to fragile plant communities and bird breeding sites,
requiring immediate action. The latter represents a longer term approach where
the education of local people about the wildlife value of shingle sites is undertaken.
Control measures include:
Education approaches include:
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Guidance: A variety of approaches to control and education have
been employed in different combinations, at different times and with greater
or lesser emphasis. A key element lies in the approaches being as flexible
as the habitats and species which they are trying to protect.
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