NATURE
| | | You
are in: Southampton > Nature > Walks > Netley Shoreline > Stage6 | | 
The coast path | Stage
6
Where's the coast going?!
When
you reach the sign for the yacht club, rejoin the foreshore path and walk along
in the direction of the park's main entrance. | | | Here
we see evidence that the coastline is dynamic and ever changing. Part of the sea
wall has been closed off to the public as it is currently being undermined by
the action of the sea. Over time, it can create huge caverns under the land immediately
alongside the sea.
Hampshire County Council's current policy at the park
is to try and hold the line in the short term. However The Department of Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs's (DEFRA) future policy on coastal defence is not to spend
large amounts of money shoring up the miles of coastline when nature takes its
inevitable course. This will mean that some low lying areas currently defended
will be allowed to flood in the near future.
 | | Sea water eroding the defences |
Erosion of
material contributes to the Solent's mudflats, sands and shingle beaches and spits
(like Calshot Spit on the opposite side of Southampton Water) which have been
formed over centuries since the end of the Ice Age. Material is transferred from
one area to another by the sea - the coastal landscape is always changing every
time the tide comes in and out.
Erosion may be a natural phenomena but
there are other pressures on the natural environment around us. Between 1930 and
1980 55% of the intertidal area - that's mud, sandflats and saltmarsh - has been
lost to development, infilling and dredging along the coast. 650 hectares are
seriously damaged.
 | | Pollution on the beach |
The population
of Southampton has risen to 205,000 - generating sewage and waste problems. Thousands
of container ships pass up and down Southampton Water every year and the petro-chemical
plant directly opposite you at Fawley is one of the biggest in Europe. And there
are all the pleasure craft and yacht moorings - there are now 24 yacht marinas
around the Solent.
All
take their toll by adding to pollution, damaging wildlife habitats and changing
the landscape - it poses a challenge to planners and the rest of us - how do we
preserve the rich environment but also keep the area as a busy and thriving coastal
area to enjoy?
When you reach the Pay and Display Sign, before the
cricket pavilion, turn right.
| | | | You
are in: Southampton > Nature > Walks > Netley Shoreline > Stage
5 | |
| 
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| | SEE ALSO | |
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