DEPARTMENT FOR
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (281/07) issued by
The Government News Network on 31 August 2007
Three estuaries -
the Dee, Humber and Severn - have been earmarked by the government
as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) to protect vulnerable
wildlife and habitats.
Defra has written to the European Commission to seek SAC status
for the three candidate sites, to add to the UK's 611 SACs
covering just over two and a half million hectares. This is part
of a long-running process of designation of UK conservation areas
under the EU Habitats Directive.
The Severn Estuary has been selected as one of the best areas in
the UK for mudflats, sand flats and Atlantic salt meadows. The
estuary is also an important area for migratory fish and as a
nursery for juvenile fish of many species.
The Dee Estuary supports extensive areas of salt marsh and has
the fifth largest extent of mudflats and sand flats of any estuary
in the UK. It includes a dune system along the north-east coast
of Wales which supports a rich variety of plants, including the
rare petalwort. The estuary is also important for a number of
migratory fish species.
The Humber Estuary is the largest British coastal plain estuary
on the North Sea coast, and drains one fifth of England. The
subtidal and intertidal habitats, fringing salt marsh and reedbeds
provide a valuable resource for a large number of rare or
threatened mammals, fish and plants.
The Sustainable Development Commission is due to report in the
autumn on the potential for utilising tidal power to generate
electricity both in the Severn and elsewhere. SAC designation
would not rule out tidal power development, including in the
Severn Estuary, in appropriate circumstances. The Government is
ready to consider carefully proposals for a Severn Barrage and
other tidal power developments.
In the light of this Defra and the Welsh Assembly Government have
drawn the European Commission's attention to the potential of
the Severn Estuary to contribute towards emissions reduction and
renewable energy targets. We have also pointed out that these
proposals could significantly alter the ecological characteristics
of the Estuary and raise issues regarding the balance between
habitat protection and tackling the wider problems caused by
global warming. We are discussing this balance with the EU Commission.
Biodiversity Minister Joan Ruddock said:
"In submitting these sites the Government has demonstrated
its commitment to the protection and restoration of the UK's
richly diverse, and internationally important, wildlife habitats.
We will work towards ensuring that our environmental protection
agenda and our aim to develop renewable sources of power are complementary."
NOTES FOR EDITORS
1. The Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May
1992) requires each Member State to submit a list of cSACs to the
Commission to make up a network of high-quality conservation sites
known as Natura 2000. This network consists of SACs and Special
Protection Areas (SPAs) established to protect wild birds under
the Birds Directive (Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April
1979). The Natura 2000 network is internationally recognised as
forming part of the global effort to conserve biodiversity.
2. Candidate SACs (cSACs) are sites that have been submitted to
the European Commission, but not yet formally adopted as Sites of
Community Importance (SCIs). Once cSACs are adopted by the
Commission Member States are obliged, under Article 4 of the
Habitats Directive, to designate SCIs within their territory as
SACs as soon as possible. Candidate sites are protected as though
they were adopted by the Commission and designated by the
Secretary of State as SACs.
3. Designation does not rule out the possibility of future
development. If the damaging effects of a proposed development
cannot be mitigated, or avoided by using an alternative solution,
it may still be permitted on grounds of overriding public interest
(OPI) in certain circumstances. Should any such OPI project come
forward the Commission would need to be satisfied that the overall
coherence of the Natura 2000 network was protected.
4. The legal requirements relating to the designation and
management of cSACs in England, Scotland and Wales are set out in
the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 (as
amended). The majority of cSACs are also Sites of Special
Scientific Interest (SSSIs).
Severn Estuary
The Severn Estuary is one of the largest estuaries in the UK. The
estuary's classic funnel shape, unique in the UK, helps give
it the second highest tidal range in the world at more than 12
metres. Although the high sediment levels in the Severn Estuary
make it hostile to fish (which need higher oxygen levels) and most
marine plants (which need sunlight to photosynthesise), this
results in a range of terrestrial and aquatic habitats composed of
plants and animals typical of the extreme conditions of strong
flows, mobile sediments, changing salinity and turbid waters.
Between autumn and spring, abundant ragworms, lugworms and other
species buried in the soft sediments form an important food source
for thousands of over-wintering and migratory birds. The estuary
is also an important area for migratory fish, such as river and
sea lamprey and twaite shad, and as a nursery for juvenile fish of
many species. While the fringes of the estuary provide one of the
best areas in the UK for Atlantic salt meadows, the estuary also
contains areas of species poor sub-tidal sandbanks and
invertebrate reefs.
The Severn Estuary is therefore important for the characteristics
of the estuary as a whole, certain habitat types and certain
species associated with those habitats, most notably wintering and
migratory birds, migratory fish and invertebrate reefs.
Dee Estuary
The Dee Estuary is the sixth largest estuary in
the UK. It contains extensive areas of salt marsh, much of which
is ungrazed. On low spring tides, over ninety percent of the
estuary dries out, exposing the fifth largest extent of mudflats
and sand flats of any estuary in the UK, containing many
invertebrates, including worms, shellfish (e.g. cockles) and
shrimp-like amphipods. These provide a rich source of food for
birds and fish. The estuary also provides habitat for migratory
fish species, which spend their lives in the sea and spawn in the
River Dee. The site also includes areas of a once extensive dune
system along the north east coast of Wales. The dune areas support
rich variety of plants, including the rare petalwort. The
sandstone cliffs of the Hilbre Islands support sea cliff vegetation.
Humber Estuary
The Humber Estuary is the largest British
coastal plain estuary on the North Sea coast, and drains one fifth
of England. It is one of the finest examples of an estuary of its
type and is ranked as one of the top six sites in the UK for its
waterfowl population, whilst its subtidal and intertidal habitats,
fringing salt marsh and reedbeds provide a valuable resource for a
large number of rare or threatened mammals, fish and plants.
Defra has also today confirmed extensions to the existing Humber
Flats Marshes and Coast (Phase 1) Special Protection Area and
Ramsar site made under the provisions of the Birds Directive and
the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance.
These sites have been extended to incorporate additional land and
have been renamed as the Humber Estuary Special Protection Area
and Ramsar site accordingly. The estuary comprises extensive
wetland and coastal habitats including reedbeds, mature and
developing salt marsh, grazing marsh, low sand dunes, marshy
slacks and brackish pools. The estuary supports important numbers
of waterbirds (especially geese, ducks and waders) during the
migration periods and in winter. In summer, it supports important
breeding populations of bittern, marsh harrier, avocet and little
tern. It also supports important populations of seals, amphibians
and migratory fish.
A copy of the guidance document entitled 'Special Areas of
Conservation in England and how they affect you' can be found
on the Natural England website via: http://www.english-nature.org.uk/Special/sac/default.htm
Further information can be found on the CCW website via:
http://www.ccw.gov.uk/landscape--wildlife/protecting-our-landscape/special-landscapes--sites/international-designated-sites/natura-2000.aspx
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