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Recreational pressures on shingle - summary
Recreational activities can affect both shingle beaches and structures. On
the most mature structures even relatively small incursions into the surface
layer may remain visible for many years. The impact of off-road vehicles ranges
from relatively minor incursions into the intact vegetated shingle ridges, which
break up the vegetation, to prolonged use and total destruction. Wheel
tracks created by vehicles during the 1940's at Dungeness, for example,
are clearly visible today. Many of these actions are cumulative leading to long
term and irreparable damage to the shingle surface. Both recreational activities
may also have an impact on other important features such as bird-nesting
survival and behaviour.
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For many people a shingle beach provides easy access to the sea. Thus
a variety of commercial and recreational uses can take place. These include:
The effect of these activities is to disturb or destroy the vegetation
and/or the nests of ground-nesting birds.
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Caption:
Wheel tracks at Dungeness thought to have been created more than 50 years
ago.
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