State of Nature report - RSPB

COASTAL
Wrapped in a narrow ribbon around the UK,
our coastal habitats are diverse and fragile.
They include saltmarshes, coastal lagoons,
mudflats, dunes, shingle, beaches, soft and hard rock cliffs
and slopes, and the amazing machair habitat of north and
west Scotland. Many blur the boundaries between coastal
and inland habitats. For instance, coastal grazing marshes
could be considered farmland, but also hold brackish ditches
and sea walls that support special communities of wildlife.
The UK holds internationally important populations of
many coastal species, such as the sea-aster colletes bee,
a species found only in coastal areas around the North Sea.
Some are endemics, found nowhere else in the world, such
as the dune helleborine, which exists in just a handful of
northern sites, and the even rarer Lindisfarne helleborine,
named after its only known location. Many other specialist
plants, invertebrates and birds depend on rare and vulnerable
coastal habitats.
David Chapman (NHPA/Photoshot)
We discuss the fortunes of the UK’s seabirds in the marine
section of this report, but it is important to remember that
they flock in huge numbers to our offshore islands, beaches
and sea cliffs to breed in spring and summer. These “seabird
cities” are some of the most impressive wildlife spectacles
in the world.
Our islands’ identity is closely bound to the sea, and our
coastline is an important part of our heritage. A trip to
the seaside is a national pastime, and the sights, sounds
and smells of the coast are loved by people everywhere.
Yellow horned poppy
The UK’s coastline includes some of our most diverse and varied habitats,
supporting many hundreds of specialist plants and animals that can be found
nowhere else.
Of the 682 coastal species for which we have trends, 60% have declined and 29%
have declined strongly.
13% of coastal flowering plant species are regarded as threatened with extinction
in the UK.
Habitats such as saltmarsh support internationally important bird and
invertebrate populations.
Huge areas of coastal habitat have been lost or damaged in recent history, due to
coastal development, cliff stabilisation and changes to agricultural practices.
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