Phil Brown & Richard Rafe
The impact of coastal change on Suffolk’s birds – the winners and losers
C
oastal change won’t all be one-way traffic! While some change will disrupt many bird species’ lives, perhaps surprisingly, other species could benefit from it. As has already been noted, the Suffolk coast is dynamic – it is arguably irrelevant whether or not this is due to man-induced climate change, as either way it remains a fact that, in places, the Suffolk coast will erode rapidly and at some time in the future certain low-lying coastal areas will face an increasing risk of short-lived flooding, or permanent inundation by the sea.
Impact of coastal change Any sea erosion event triggering an inundation can lead to changes in nesting, roosting or feeding areas. But it is where it occurs and at what time of year that matters most. The situation at Dingle Marshes provides us with a clue as to just how in practice mixed birds’ fortunes can be. 1
It can take up to ten years for quality feeding habitats to naturally re-establish themselves.
18
THE HARRIER – September 2011
