Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2008/January 2009 | Page 75

COUNTRYSIDE, WILDLIFE & FARMING

Saving our
diverse
coastline
Our coastline is one of the most diverse in
the whole of Britain, with a range of habitats
that reflects the full variety of the rest of
the country including developed coastal
land, undeveloped land and cliffs. But is also
one of the most crowded, meaning those
habitats are under increasing pressure.
Among other habitats, our coastline is
home to intertidal salt marsh and mudflats,
which are internationally important for
over-wintering and breeding waders,
wildfowl and seabirds. And our cliffs are
home to important insects and rare plants.
But a range of threats including relative
sea level rise, development pressure and
the degradation of old sea defences have
combined to make some of these coastal
habitats and the wildlife they support
amongst the most threatened in the two
counties.

By Abi Jarvis
woodland depending on the time since the
last slip, but whatever the habitat type, it’s a
far-from-permanent platform for wildlife to
thrive.
But species have adapted to this constant
change to take advantage of these
short-term habitats. The bare ground, warm
south-facing aspect and frequent seepages
of water allow a range of invertebrates to
survive in what may seem to the human
eye as a completely hostile environment.
Specialist insects abound such as mining
bees, nomad bees, solitary bees and the

life

wonderfully named sandy shore-bug and
saxicolous pin-palp beetle.
The south coast of the Isle of Wight has over
22km of soft cliffs stretching from Compton
Bay to Redcliff near Sandown. This huge
resource provides food and shelter for 397
species, including 25 species found only in
this habitat. Most famous is the Glanville
fritillary butterfly; its caterpillar feeds off the
ribwort plantain plant, which colonises bare
ground before grasses can get a hold.
This colourful community of insects is now
known to be one of the most diverse in the
whole country.
Meanwhile in the far west of Hampshire, the

View from Ventnor Botanic Garden

The cliffs of Hampshire and
the Island
Offering contrasting habitats, our cliffs fall
into two distinct groups: the soft cliffs of
Hampshire and much of the Isle of Wight,
and the imposing harder chalk cliffs at either
end of the Island.
If you ever needed proof of the adaptability
of wildlife, look no further than the soft
cliffs of Hampshire and much of the Island’s
coastline. These cliffs are easily eroded by
land, rain and sea. Mud and boulders can
give rise to grasslands and even scrub and

The Island's new funky radio station www.wightfm.com

Water Vole by Chris Bean

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