East Riding coast included in bid to become a natural world heritage site
It's been submitted to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport
An application has been submitted for the East Riding coast to become a natural world heritage site.
The RSPB says it wants the wetlands along the east coast to be added to the UK's Tentative List of World Heritage sites.
It has submitted a bid to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and comes after a new report indicates the east coast is one of the world’s most important places for nature.
The charity says the recent review, authored by marine and coastal habitat consultants ABPmer, concluded that the English east coast is of ‘outstanding universal value’ owing to the world class network of coastal wetlands which support globally important migratory bird populations.
Figures collated in the report indicate that around one million birds are reliant on the east coast each winter, using the unique shores and inland marshes to shelter from the harsh conditions in Scandinavia, Canada, Greenland and Siberia.
In the spring the coast fills with around 200,000 migrating and breeding birds, and in the autumn, around 700,000 birds make the area home.
In total the report shows that the east coast wetlands support over 155 different bird species. Of these, 29 use the east coast in internationally important numbers, meaning they are dependent on the wetlands for their survival. These include knot, black-tailed godwit, dark-bellied brent geese and bar-tailed godwit, many of which are already of conservation concern.
Richard Barnard, Yorkshire and Humber Area Manager for RSPB, said: “A wide range of species use the Humber as an essential home and as refuge during huge migration journeys. It’s so exciting to think that the east coast is up there with some of the most important places for nature globally.”
The east coast wetlands application has been initiated by the RSPB and endorsed by wider partners, including the National Trust, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, several Local Authorities and The Crown Estate.
James Robinson, Director of Conservation, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, said: “This bid recognises the incredible value of wetlands for nature, people and the planet. At WWT we witness how important protected wetlands are in providing vital food and shelter for the tens of thousands of wild water birds who arrive at our reserves in spectacular flocks every year on their annual winter migrations. The people of the East Riding of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire have always known how fantastic the Humber’s wetlands are but for them to be recognised on a world stage would help us all speak up for these habitats and the importance of protecting and celebrating them.”
Currently there are just two Natural World Heritage sites in the UK; Dorset and East Devon Coast and the Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast. In addition to two UK overseas territories in the Gough Islands in the South Atlantic and Henderson Island in the South Pacific.
If accepted the east coast could join this list which also includes some of the world’s most iconic sites, such as the Great Barrier Reef, the Galapagos Islands and Mount Kilimanjaro.
A decision on whether the east coast wetlands will be added to the UK’s Tentative List is expected by early 2023.