Space To Breathe

Thousands of us flock to the seaside over the summer, but how can we make sure that we don’t encroach on our coastal wildlife?

- Megan Shersby

Think of a beach on a summer’s day in the UK, and there’s a good chance that wildlife will come to mind. Perhapswading birds, or the crabs, starfish and anemones of a rockpool. However, the seaside is also popular with human visitors, and when the two meet, issues can arise.

Whether it’s the construction of houses, tourist attractions or harbours, the disturbance of animals by humans or dogs, or the trampling of vulnerable plants, people can have a devastating impact on wildlife in coastal areas. And these problems become more severe where sensitive and rare species rely on small nature reserves.

At Dawlish Warren, a National Nature Reserve in the Exe Estuary, Devon, there’s a precarious balance between encouraging people to enjoy the outdoors and conserving wildlife. The seaward side of this long spit is most popular with the tourists. It’s a typical sandy beach backed by a dune system and, in summer, there’s a high number of human visitors – between 10,000 to 20,000 people per day.

The grassy area behind the dunes may seem like an attractive place for a game of football or to let dogs off the lead, however, it is also home to a wide variety of wildlife. Sand lizards, rare species of petalwort and liverwort, small adder’stongue fern, marsh helleborine, and the Warren crocus – a tiny purple flower that can only be found at two locations in mainland Britain – live here.

Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT) and Teignbridge District Council co-manage the site and share the responsibility of protecting its wildlife. Alongside its designation as a National Nature Reserve, Dawlish Warren is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Area of Conservation, a Ramsar site, and is part of the Exe Estuary Special Protection Area.