Jncc coastal Directories Project Region 11 The Western Approaches

point of view goes to the Lizard.  Here, not only are many of
the rarities present in good populations, but the cliff-tops
and surrounding land also support some of the best
examples of the rare Cornish heath, at sites such as
Goonhilly Downs.  
The invertebrate fauna of many of the region’s cliffs is
outstanding, with many scarce and threatened species
occurring, including several that depend on the associated
warm and bare or sparsely vegetated ground.  The cliffs also
provide habitat for sizeable populations of some of the more
widespread reptiles, including adders, slow worms and
lizards, and they are also of national significance for bats.
Thirteen of the fourteen British species occur in the region,
and the disused mines on the coast provide hibernating sites
for significant populations of the rare greater and lesser
horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum and
R. hipposideros).  These species rely on semi-natural pastures
and ancient woodland respectively for foraging, both
habitats that occur relatively extensively throughout the
region.
The cliffs are also notable for animal species that have
been lost but which are now being reintroduced, including
the large blue butterfly, which formerly had strongholds on
the cliff tops of the region.  Exposure to wind and salt spray,
coupled with grazing, used to minimise the growth of
coarse grasses and scrub and maintain the open, close-
cropped grassland thought to be important for this species.
The move away from livestock farming may well have
helped in its demise, although collecting may also have had
an adverse impact.  
There are three large sand dune systems in the region,
each with in excess of 500 ha of blown sand: Penhale Dunes,
Braunton Burrows and Kenfig in south Wales.  All three are
candidate SACs and together with the more than 40 other
smaller dune sites represent 6% of the Great Britain sand
dune resource.  The sites are scattered throughout the region
on exposed, generally west-facing coasts, where the
prevailing winds blow the sand onshore to form hindshore
dunes.  Occasionally, as at Penhale and Merthyr Mawr in
south Wales, sand is blown over a cliff to form climbing
dunes.  Other physical types of dune are less well
represented.  The dunes at Kenfig and Penhale are within
National Nature Reserves, and parts of them are used by the
MoD for training.  Despite the presence of a golf course at
Kenfig this site remains one of the most intact dune systems
in Great Britain and has a number of rare species including
sea stock Mathiola sinuata.  The dunes at Penhale include
tourist developments with a caravan park and erosional
pressures above the beach, which resulted in the need for
extensive erosion control including marram planting.  By
contrast, Braunton Burrows and Kenfig Dunes, which are
less heavily used, have different management problems, the
most important of which are caused by the growth of scrub
and the loss of open, species-rich dune grassland.  At the
former site the introduction of Soay sheep and an extensive
mowing regime are being used in an attempt to control the
problem and reverse the encroachment of scrub.  Both
Braunton and Kenfig also have large areas of dune slack, a
rich habitat that is well represented in the western and
wetter parts of Great Britain.
Other sedimentary habitats are small but have an
important influence on the nature of the landscape.  Shingle
shores are restricted in the region because of the absence of
suitable material along the hard rock cliffs of Cornwall and
Devon.  Nevertheless there are several shingle areas in the
region which, though small in area in a national context,
show a considerable variation in their structure and
vegetation.  These include Porlock, which has a shingle
ridge enclosing an area of traditional farmland, Loe Bar,
enclosing a large freshwater lake, and the Aberthaw system,
which comprises a small series of shingle spits enclosing
saltmarsh.  
The region is not of particular significance in terms of
the total numbers of seabirds present or the species it holds,
although it is close to the southern limit of the breeding
range of several species.  The Isles of Scilly have the most
significant breeding colonies, with all but one of the six
nationally important and three internationally important
species present in the region occurring there.  
1.2.4  Landscape and nature conservation
The value of the region for landscape and nature
conservation is shown by the number and combined extent
of sites afforded official protection, especially designations
reflecting national or international importance.  These
include 157 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and
five National Nature Reserves (NNRs).  There are two
Special Protection Areas (the Severn Estuary and Walmore
Common) and three designated Ramsar sites (the Severn
Estuary, Walmore Common and Bridgwater Bay), a
relatively small number when compared with most other
regions, though reflecting the predominantly cliffed nature
of a high proportion of the coast.  The region also includes
twelve sites proposed as SACs for their coastal/marine
biological interest.  The total number of sites and total areas
of the main designations are given in 
Table 1.2.1
.
There are also many sites owned and managed by non-
governmental organisations, including the RSPB, National
Trust and Wildlife Trusts.  Nearly a quarter of the region’s
coast is owned or leased by the National Trust - around a
third of its coastal holdings in Great Britain.  The presence of
thirteen out of 35 Heritage Coasts and the extent of the coast
designated as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
- 27% by length of that in England and Wales - is indicative
of the great conservation importance of this region.  The
area includes the only statutory Marine Nature Reserve in
England, and there are also seven Sensitive Marine Areas
identified by English Nature as being of national
importance.
1.2.5  Human activities, past and present
In this region, because the land was never covered by ice
sheets, considerable evidence survives of some of the
earliest human settlements in Britain.  These have been
dated to 450,000 years ago: in one cave on the edge of the
Somerset Levels, flint axes have been found in association
with the bones of animals that became extinct at around that
time.  Hunter-gatherers continued to use the region in the
post-glacial period, and from about 4,000 - 3,500 years ago
cultivation and animal husbandry were practised,
associated with small settlements.  Widespread use of the
region continued up to the Roman occupation, though their
presence appears to have left no lasting impression on the
more remote parts.  However, on land fringing the estuaries
Region 11  Chapter 1  Overview
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