Shifting Shores is a report that was produced by the National Trust in 2005, which investigated how the British coastline is likely to change over the next 100 years, particularly in response to projected rising sea levels. It centred around the likely impacts that increases in coastal flooding and erosion rates would have on both the coastal environment, and land use activities adjacent to the shoreline. Since then, great strides have taken place to commence mitigating these impacts, particularly in regards to changing public policy. In 2015, the report was revisited, with the charity assessing how the coastline has changed over the last 10 years, and reflecting on how it has responded to some of the changes. It also emphasises how its Shifting Shores approach should be put into action, by supporting long-term sustainability plans over short-lived engineering projects, and emphasises the need to work with coastal communities in order to take action. In short, the National Trust is aiming to retain a healthy coastline that is shaped by natural forces, rather than by creating a coastline defended by a wall of concrete barriers.
The Last 10 Years
In the 10 years between the report and the follow-up assessment, research has shown that the British government, as well as engineers and landowners, have not paid enough attention to the known coastal flood and erosion risk. In England, between 2005 and 2014, the number of buildings at a rather high risk from coastal change had increased by about 10%, with new homes and businesses being built in areas prone to such coastal change. Although some changes in public policy have taken place, such as the creation of Coastal Change Management Areas in 2010 – areas that allow to councils to prevent planning and new development in coastal areas prone to erosion and flooding – only 29 or England’s 94 coastal planning authorities were using this policy. An outside contractor also assessed the National Trust’s performance over the past 10 years – they found that the charity’s progress was slow, in regard to working towards an adaptive response. Hence why, in 2015, the National Trust revisited the report, emphasising that they need to lead by example in promoting, and actively pursuing, sustainable coastal management.
Effects of the 2014 Atlantic Storms
However, along with many British coastal communities and various local authorities, the National Trust received a huge wake-up call in early 2014, when unusually severe winter depressions brought with them strong winds and large waves. Many coastal communities, particularly (but not exclusively) in the south-west of the UK, were hit hard by this weather, with large sections being flooded and even eroded. Once example was in the South Devon seaside town of Dawlish, where the waves were so strong that parts of a coastal railway running along the base of the cliffs, not far above sea level, were eroded away, leaving many surrounding areas without a rail connection for many months after the incident. The effects of the exceptionally strong winter depressions that occurred in January and February 2014 highlighted the need for the National Trust to improve its work in implementing a natural and sustainable coastline – although physical defences are required in some areas, much of their approach is about adapting the coastline environment to fit around coastal changes.
Putting Plans into Action
Putting their plans into action is a significant part of the Shifting Shores report, and as recent and projected changes in climate suggest, time is running out. The National Trust emphasises that physical engineered structures, such as sea walls and groynes, are not the most helpful tactics in safeguarding the coastline – although they prevent erosion in the short-term, these structures start to fail, even after a few years of existence. In their 2015 follow-up assessment, the charity emphasises seven key actions for the future:
Long term sustainable plans should be favoured over short-term
engineered defences
- This includes managing coastal land use, rather than constructing permanent defences
Using coastal adaptation as a force for good
- Adaptive responses to managing climate change must be seen as equally valid as an approach to engineering responses
Take action now
- Unfortunately, a gap still exists between the creation of shoreline management plans and their implementation
- The National Trust hopes to resolve this by taking legislation surrounding Coastal Area Management Areas, and using these to aid local planning, and to develop a coastal adaptation toolkit
Work closely with communities
- The National Trust aims to ask people who live close to, interact with, or rely on coastal areas, which adaptation plans they believe are the most effective
- The charity aims to involve them in all decisions that need to be made, and raise awareness of the challenges that face us all
Act across boundaries
- To implement adaptation plans, the National Trust aims to build a partnership with other landowners and stakeholders
- Although building a coherent coastal planning and management policy is difficult due to the many different stakeholders involved, a strong partnership approach is required for finding solutions that benefit all
Innovation
- Trying out new ideas is a key component of taking action, particularly as future challenges may warrant new approaches to mitigate coastal degradation
Aspire to a healthy coastline that is shaped by natural forces
- In the face of threats caused by increased flooding and erosion, we must create space for natural processes to function, and for animal species to live and migrate between
- If areas are at imminent risk, quick thinking is required in order to prevent degradation of the coastline
A Future for the British Coast
For a coast to flourish, it has to be one that is rich in wildlife, has its intrinsic beauty and cultural heritage protected, and can be accessed and enjoyed by both local people and visitors. Working with nature and natural processes – including the action of waves, weather, tides and changes in sea level – is essential in allowing us to adapt to a changing coastal environment. A natural coastline, rather than a Britain that is essentially ringed with concrete sea defence barriers, is required in order to maintain a beautiful and preserved coastal environment.
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