Cycling, horse riding and metal detecting are many activities that threaten Dawlish Warren. Metal Detecting is damaging because in order to find the piece of metal buried underground it is necessary to dig up the ground that inhabits many wild flowers. Kite flying is also damaging to the birds especially because it appears to the birds as a predator and many will fly away from their feeding and sleeping grounds. The kite also can pull up flowers that are growing on its way up. Ball games are also threatening, while talking to Phil chambers he experienced one occasion where a football game was taking place inside the nature reserve and one of the players went to kick the ball and kicked a rare flower that was the first orchid to be found growing in the reserve for 8 years. Camping is damaging because the tent will crush flowers and prevent sunlight and water getting to the flowers it will also affect the plants when the tent poles are put in the ground. BBQs are a major issue to the reserve many people use the wooden fencing used to separate the beach from the reserve for their BBQ, Phil chambers said in a bad year it cost up to £1000 in repairs. In the summer the dunes are very dry so it is very easy to set alight to them and obtain a large fire very quickly, this is very dangerous for people who through their cigarette buds into the dunes, or vandals who find it fun to set alight to dune. This damages the rare sand dune ecosystem, which are both essential to the leisure and tourism and the rare wildlife that inhabit the sand dunes. As it is the sand dunes which hold down the sand and prevent it from blowing away the sand is necessary to the beach and the beach as seen in fig B is the main attraction of Dawlish Warren.
Trampling and erosion is also a threat as it compacts the soil preventing oxygen getting to the plant so that it can photosynthesise and grow. A prime example of erosion and trampling is either side of the board walks linking the car park to the beach. Although the board walks have been put in place to prevent people from walking on the nature reserve, this does not stop people from walking either side of it, there are no laws or signs explaining to tourists ‘Please use the board walks and not the plant life either side of it’ The major impact on sand dunes results from recreational use, destroying the vegetation, which binds the sand, exposing bare sand to wind, and wave attack which can ultimately result in the disappearance of the dune system.
Our sand dunes also face threats from both under grazing which leads to dunes being taken over by scrub and, ironically, overgrazing, which causes excessive erosion. Sand dunes are very susceptible to being trampled or sat on. It takes very few people using a dune regularly, whilst picnicking for example to destroy the marram grass which inhabits the sand dunes. Trampling by visitors in summer cause flowers and plants to die the maram grass is eventually killed and during storms and windy weather in winter sand is removed. Introduced plants, such as Michaelmas daisy, cause problems too as they out compete the more delicate native sand dune pants. In the interim, dune ecosystems can suffer a devastating loss of biodiversity with single or few species dominating the entire system. This loss of biodiversity not only impoverishes the system in terms of species composition but also renders the system far less able to adapt and recover from stresses both natural and human induced. Lastly, as with other coastal habitats, rise in sea levels could see the loss of most of our existing sand dunes.
Another threat is that the sand spit is shrinking due to the lack of Longshore drift feeding the spit with sand. The fault is human induced, groynes have been put in place to keep as much beach sediment on the beach as possible the beach sediment this also benefits the Nature reserve the sand acts as a wave absorber preventing any dunes becoming eroded away by the sea. The sand on the east side of the groyne proves long shore drift is occurring this is shown on fig B. This is also shown by the data I collected on pebblepresented on Fig C. A sea wall has been built so the waves can rebound off in order to protect the railway this prevents erosion of the cliffs behind the railway line so sand is not being produced. This in turn affects the amount of sand that is being fed to the beach and the spit. The spit is not getting enough sand to absorb the impact of the sea therefore it is shrinking. The land is a habitat for rare and valuable flora and fauna if the spit goes the flora and fauna will go as well. If the spit disappears the estuary is likely to flood and ruin valuable homes, this is another reason why it is so important to look after the sand spit. Although the sand spit is very valuable many argue that because not many people are attracted to the spit it is not worth having this is shown in fig D. A lot more people come to Dawlish Warrens beautiful beach has become a tourist honey pot ‘blue flag’ people all over Britain come to view the beach this is evident in my questionnaire it shows that most people come because of the beach and often the people come from a long way to view the award winning beach, this is evident in fig E. If the beach went tourism would be finished at Dawlish Warren, pubs, caravans, and those whose lives have become dependant on tourism would be financially ruined.
Langstone Rock is also under threat by coastal processes. The reason Langstone Rock has become so significant is because of the rare wildlife that inhabit the rock and the fact that it shows all the problems of erosion like hydraulic pressure corrosion and abrasion which interests school children which in turn brings money to Dawlish Warren. In Fig I it shows the formation of the caves arches and stacks that erosion has caused.
Cliff foot erosion is shown in fig G it is a picture of Langstone rock that has been attacked by waves. At the top of the rock it looks as if it is too hop heavy and is going to collapse. As waves approach the shore, the bed of the sea slows them down. Other waves pile in behind them and rise up, forming a wave, which eventually breaks. This attacks the foot of the cliff in three ways. Hydraulic Pressure Fractures in rock sea cliffs, which contain air spaces. When a wave breaks against a cliff it forces and compresses air trapped inside cracks. When the wave retreats, air is released with sudden explosive effect. This fractures the rock, which falls away from the cliff. Abrasion or corrosion is when wave energy throws sand and rock against a cliff as well as water. The action of rock material against the cliff is known as abrasion. This cuts into and under the base of the cliff and causes it to collapse.
Corrosion which is solution caused by the chemical effect of salts or acids in the seawater. Weak acids dissolve rocks, which contain calcium carbonate such as limestone or chalk. Salts form on all rocks facing the salt dries on the surface it weakens rocks already under attack from wave energy. Cliff face processes include weathering, wind action and movement of rocks on the face of the cliff. Together these are known as sub aerial processes. Weathering disintegrates and causes the decay of rocks at the earth’s surface such as by the action of frost, or by solution and corrosion, described above. Mass movement is the movement of rock material down slope, such as cliff collapse, or landslides, which often follows periods of heavy rain. All of these processes act against Langstone Rock and put it under threat this is evident in fig H.
The reserve is part owned by Devon Wildlife Trust and Part owned by Teignbridge Council and it is the latter part that is open to the public. They both work individually, Teignbridge leisure and tourism council can do whatever they want on their side of the warren as long as it does not affect the Nature Reserve. If any problems do arise a compromise will be made in order to accommodate both parties.
The Tourism side is very popular there is a beautiful beach the sea and the amusements bring a great deal of wealth and prosperity to Dawlish Warren. On a hot summers day 20,000 people will come to the beach. In fig B it shows that the main reason why people come to Dawlish Warren is because of the beach. Children can play on the long sandy beach that is lifeguard patrolled during the summer season. There are also amusement arcades offering kiddies rides and for the more senior members of the family gambling machines are in plentiful supply.One can try their driving skills on Dawlish Warren's Grand Prix Go-Karts, with computerised lap scoring and electronic scoreboards.
The beach has a gentle slope down to the sea, providing a perfect spot for bathing in a safe environment. Perfect for family days at the beach, Dawlish Warren has all the amenities and entertainments that you need for that perfect seaside holiday. Families can relax as the children play and have fun in the water, as Dawlish Warren is supervised by a team of experienced lifeguards.
Throughout the summer months, there is a programme of entertainments for the children, with slapstick comedy, concerts and children's parities. The adults can indulge themselves in the pursuit of that elusive bargain at the weekly open-air market.
There are plenty of cafes and public houses in this resort where you can have a good meal at affordable prices in relaxed surroundings, then afterwards you can walk this off with a leisurely stroll along the sea wall, sandwiched between the sea and the railway, to .
Dawlish Warren has its own train station from where you can travel to other destinations in South Devon and beyond. Why not take the train to the popular resorts of , and , or to the large shopping towns of Newton Abbot, and .
Local buses connect Dawlish Warren with the local towns of Dawlish and Teignmouth and the larger towns of Torquay, Newton Abbot and Exeter. Stagecoach Devon operates frequent services to and from Dawlish Warren every 15 minutes during the day.
Many sea defences have been put into place for several reasons, which are evident in fig 4. However these create problems for both the ecology and the economy of Dawlish Warren. The issue of sea defences cutting off the sand supply to the spit had already been mentioned. Gabions consist of smaller rocks bound together in a cage of metal. Waves break against the gabions, and the energy is dispersed and absorbed within them. Although they are financially cheap Gabions are vulnerable to erosion, during my visit to Dawlish Warren I noticed that many of the baskets had burst. Although the Leisure and tourism council plan to replace all the gabion baskets, Phil chambers explained to me that it is a real ecological worry to the Dawlish Warren to replace all of the baskets because many rare plants will be disturbed in the process as many have started to grow through the gabion baskets. The concrete revetement allows no plant to grow through and this is also a worry to the ecology of Dawlish Warren. In strong wind and storms the sea often goes over the sea wall and this can damage the railway line. Apart from sea defences disturbing natural coastal processes and habitats they are also aesthetically displeasing to many people who come for a holiday at Dawlish Warren because of the beauty of the area. This is shown in fig 2. A bi polar evaluation was taken to see other people’s opinions of the sea defences this is shown in fig 2.
It can be argued that Dawlish Warren is not under threat because of effective management. A wide variety of management activities are carried out at Dawlish Warren. Strategic management is required to ensure that there is a sustainable and co-ordinated approach to conservation management, tourist development, visitor management and coastal defence. A management plan was adopted by Teignbridge District Council in 1999 and identifies management aims and actions for the site.
Active visitor management is needed to minimise human impact on the site's wildlife.
This includes: providing a site presence to protect roosting birds from disturbance by visitors working with user groups and the local community promoting nature conservation policies at the Reserve running the visitor centre providing an interpretation service of guided walks and events. Practical nature conservation management is also undertaken to manage the varied habitats. This ranges from mowing and scrub cutting in dune grassland to rotational reed cutting and pond clearance as well as fencing and marram grass planting to restore trampled areas.
There are restrictions on dog walking and in some places they are completely banned but part of this site has an area where dogs can be exercised freely. The council has identified four different areas to help maintain the equilibrium. In order to exercise dogs without disturbing the natural wildlife you need to make sure that in the orange area your pooch is kept on a lead no longer than two metres long. In the green area, no dogs are allowed beyond groyne nine. On the beach up to groyne three dogs are banned between April1 and September 30 but between groynes three and nine you and your dog can exercise to your hearts content each and every day of the year.
Because of the large numbers of birds that roost in the beach north east of groyne nine, visitors are asked by the warden who stands at groyne nine to steer clear of this part of the beach for three hours either side of medium and tide times are posted on notices or you can check for yourself consult tide time for Exmouth.
Luckily in the winter when most birds are about there are very few boats and water based activites going on so the birds that have come to Dawlish Warren for the winter to sleep and feed from the mud flats are not disturbed much. Cycling, horse riding, metal detecting, ball games kite flying, camping and BBQs are all prohibited although this does not always stop people from trying. This therefore ensures that rae plnts can grow and survive.
Sand dunes are also being managed. With the new visitor centre in Dawlish Warren there has been a rise in public environmental awareness in recent years there has been something of a turn around in perceptions of dune systems which are increasingly seen as a valuable resource, and it is now recognised that that we are in urgent need of sympathetic and sustainable management strategies if this valuable resource is to be enjoyed by further generations. Where sand dune systems have been badly damages by people there needs to be some restoration of the dunes. One way in which this can be done is through planting marram grass. Marram grass can be transplanted from areas where it is growing well to ‘blow outs’ or areas of sand, which need protecting. Sand traps are often built to collect sand and rebuild a dune in areas where vegetation destruction by trampling combined with wind erosion has led to the formation of a blow out. Sand traps are fences both made from pig netting and lined with finer netting, or chestnut palings. The idea is that the fence acts as an obstruction to the wind causing it to slow down and drop the sand it is carrying up from the beach. In this way as on the embryo dunes. Both sand traps and sand fences are used in most dune restoration schemes. By limiting acess to the dunes it can help the dunes grow strong and healthy. To do this one could put fencing around the marram grass, charge for car parking (higher fees in the peak season) closing some paths/areas or closing the whole area. Use supervision and/or publicity, in the case of Dalwish Warren a warden has been appointed, leaflets and an information centre has been built to educate people. Dawlish Warren has also used the strategy of providing alternatives to keep people of the dunes by advertising attraction elsewhere in this case amusements and fairground rides.
In the 1950s it was said that without mans influence the Warren would not exist beyond the mid 1960s. I believe this is very true and with the effective management taken by the Wardens working at the Nature Reserve human impacts can be controlled. However, the sandspit, which is used for nature reserves and as a nice place to walk upon is under threat from coastal processes. A sea wall at the southern end of the spit protects the railway from falling to it the sea, however during storms the sea wall is unable to stop the waves crashing on to the railway. The chalk cliffs are being battered by corrasion and are forming caves and stacks which weaken the cliff and it eventually falls down. A breakwater reduces the energy from the waves and ensures less energy hitting the cliffs therefore less erosion, however although there is less energy hitting the cliffs there is still some, the only purpose of the breakwater is to delay Langstone rock from eventually collapsing. Rock armour was used to protect the coast just before the spit and this is quite cheap compared to the groynes that they have also used. The groynes have been used at the part of the spit more likely to wash away due to long shore drift and even the wind blowing the sand inland. The beach reduced the energy taken out by the waves. This is beneficial for the nature reserves and the wildlife that need to be preserved in the spit. However after a while all of the means of coastal protection at Dawlish Warren will need to be replaced because of the effect of nature will reduce them to smithereens. I do believe that the coastal processes which are occurring and shrinking the spit and Langstone Rock and the Railway are under threat and cannot be managed effectively because
In conclusion I believe that it is extremely important to protect the Nature Reserve as it is very rare and although it is not as popular as the beach, there are very few Reserves that cater for such a large dune ecosystem like Dawlish Warren and with European importance it clearly shows that this is an internationally known for its nature, and I am sure Dawlish Warren beach
The tourist trade wants people to go and view the Nature reserve. However, the nature reserve will not work. The question is do we reduce tourist impact and let plants and animals survive or improve tourism (which is the fastest growing economy in the world) and get rid of fossil filled nature reserve. This is a conflict within a conflict!
However there are ways in which we can overcome this problem, in some way one could section off areas to the public and areas, which are not to be disturbed so that rare plants and animals can thrive. Tourists are only interested in one end of the beach whereas the nature reserve is at the other end of the beach, although it the reserve will still erode without management. We should educate people and try to promote green tourism on the sand spit. The river exe is most important because of its mudflats.
The question that needs to be asked now is, should local councils protect the coast, or leave it to nature? And how does protection affect the people and the environment of Dawlish Warren? In some places the foot of the cliff has to be protected from wave action. This is done by building solid or ‘hard’ features such as revetments and gabions. Revetments are large boulders placed at the foot of the cliff ones at dawlish Warren have been brought form Norway- although expensive, they last a long time. Wave energy is thrown against the boulders, and absorbed by them before the cliff can be attacked.
Sometimes, sea walls are built. Compared to other methods, they are expensive and do not always do the job they were intended to do. When waves attack a sea wall, they rebound; none of their energy is lost.
Dawlish Warren has a sandspit, which is used for nature reserves and as a nice place to walk upon. A sea wall at the southern end of the spit protects the railway from falling to it the sea. The chalk cliffs are being battered by corrasion and are forming caves and stacks which weaken the cliff and it eventually falls down. A breakwater reduces the energy from the waves and ensures less energy hitting the cliffs therefore less erosion. A wave-cut platform is visible at low tide, that much of the cliffs have been eroded already. Rock armour was used to protect the coast just before the spit and this is quite cheap compared to the groynes that they have also used. The groynes have been used at the part of the spit more likely to wash away due to long shore drift and even the wind blowing the sand inland. The beach reduced the energy taken out by the waves. This is beneficial for the nature reserves and the wildlife that need to be preserved in the spit. However after a while all of the means of coastal protection at Dawlish Warren will need to be replaced because of the effect of nature will reduce them to smithereens.
Human impacts people it is affecting
sea defences
Teignbridge city council does a lot to help tourism in the area; a few ways it helps are listed below:
· Directly funds three and assists five additional Tourist Information Centres (TIC'S),
· Produces and distributes 80,000 copies of the South Devon Destination Guide,
· Undertakes a national advertising campaign to promote the Guide,
· Distributes the South Devon Destination Guide to TICs across the UK and to individual enquirers,
· Funds and maintains the area's tourism website,
· Has produced a district tourism strategy, hypothesis.
· Works closely with tourism businesses, associations and other destinations to encourage tourism to grow,
· Secures grants and additional funds for new tourism activities,
· Funds market research to keep up-to-date with tourism trends,
· Provides advice and support to local businesses,
· Participates in several marketing partnerships with tourism businesses and councils.