Jncc coastal Directories Project Region 11 The Western Approaches

the influence of the Romans is more obvious, and their
enclosure of wetlands on what has become the Somerset
Levels and elsewhere is thought to have been extensive (Pye
& French 1993).  Many of these areas may now lie outside
the current line of sea defence, suggesting erosion of the
shoreline since the original land claim.
Maritime trade continued throughout the Dark Ages and
subsequently, and fishing became a significant commercial
activity from about the 1300s, when one of the main species
caught was the pilchard.  Today Newlyn (one of the biggest
ports in England and Wales) and Falmouth are the two main
fishing ports.  Demersal fish form the biggest landings, with
4% of the total for Britain; landings of conger eel represent
45% of the British total and landings of megrim, hake and
pollack all exceed 30%.  The many small fishing ports
around the region rely heavily on potting for crustacea,
including lobsters and edible crabs; total shellfish landings
represent about 2% of the total catch landed in Britain.  The
three diadromous fish species widespread in British waters,
the Atlantic salmon, sea trout and eel, are all fished for in
this region.  Elvers are particularly important and support a
major traditional fishery both below Bridgwater and in the
Severn.
Tin mining in Cornwall may have begun as early as the
5th century BC.  The industry continued through many ups
and downs until the collapse of the tin market in 1985
resulted in its almost total demise (one tin mine, not on the
coast, remains active in the county).  From 18th century
onwards significant commercial activity was based largely
on the exchange of raw materials, with coal from south
Wales being exported across the Bristol Channel for a
variety of industrial and domestic purposes.  At the same
time copper from Cornwall was taken to the foundries of
south Wales, where the coal fields provided the power for
smelting.  Today, Newport, Cardiff and Avonmouth are the
main centres of industrial activity, but population density in
the region in general is much lower than on the coast of
south-east England.  The degree of exposure of the region to
westerly gales and the high tidal range of the Severn
Estuary have highlighted the area’s potential for renewable
forms of power generation.  Four years’ research into the
feasibility of a tidal energy barrage across the Severn
suggested that it could produce up to 6% of the UK’s
electricity needs, although its potential cost has not so far
been considered justified.  Wind power generation occurs
on a small scale in the region, where there are five wind
farms.
Local intertidal land claim, including significant loss of
tidal habitats in Cardiff Bay and around Avonmouth for
port and industrial development, has reduced the area of
tidal land, continuing the process started by the Romans.
Change continues to occur and the building of a barrage on
the Taff/Ely Estuary where it enters Cardiff Bay will result
in another major loss of intertidal land, to be submerged by
a lake.  The objective is to revitalise the now run-down area
and create an exciting coastal city.  The existing Severn road
bridge has been augmented by a second river crossing,
opened in 1996, which will greatly speed up economic
development in the area.  A relatively small proportion -
4.3% - of the region’s coastline has man-made protection
against erosion or flooding.  Apart from small structures
around some of the urban locations in the south-west, sea
defences are concentrated around the shores of the Severn
Estuary and inner Bristol Channel.  Much of this area is low-
lying and substantial areas of the Somerset, Caldicot and
Wentlooge levels are at risk from flooding.
The fact that a considerable part of the coastal
hinterland, particularly in the south-west, remains in
pastoral use has had a important part to play in its
continuing landscape value.  Much of the coastline is
characterised by semi-natural habitats such as cliff-top
pasture, meadows and woodland.  Some coastal heaths and
pastures have been ploughed, but recent changes in
agricultural support have made this a less attractive option
and the implementation of a variety of schemes such as
Environmentally Sensitive Areas and set-aside are reducing
the impact of intensification and even contributing to the
restoration of some sites. 
With its attractive landscape and many facilities the
south-west has been a major centre for tourism for many
years.  There are several large holiday centres, including the
older traditional family resorts of Newquay, Weston-super-
Mare and Barry Island.  The construction of the M5, and
improvements to the A30, which reaches into the heart of
south Cornwall, means that the whole of the south-west has
been opened to mass tourism.  The traditional beach-based
1.2  Introduction to the region
17
Table 1.2.1  
Main landscape and nature conservation designations in Region 11
Designation
No. of sites  
Total area in
% of GB coast
in region
this region (ha)
total in region
Biosphere Reserves
1
604
2.2
Ramsar sites
3
27,412
9.9
Special Protection Areas (SPAs)
2
24,709
8.5
Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs)
2
87,900
6.3
Biogenetic Reserves
1
1,300
34.4
National Nature Reserves (NNRs)
5
5,406
6.2
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)
157
56,005
8.0
Marine Nature Reserve (MNR)
1
1,390
48.1
National Parks
1
69,300
9.3
Local Nature Reserves (LNRs)
9
692
5.2
National Trust sites
149
14,363
22.8
RSPB reserves
3
235
0.6
Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust sites
1
305
19.2
Wildlife Trust sites
20
227
1.0
Source: JNCC.  Note: any site that is wholly or partly intertidal, and any terrestrial site at least partly within 1 km of the Mean High Water
Mark, or any tidal channel as depicted on 1:50,000 Ordnance Survey maps, is included as ‘coastal’.

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