The New Forest coast is a dynamic and evolving place. It changes from tide to tide, season to season and year to year.

Understanding these changes is the key to helping look after this spectacular area.

Enjoy the beautiful views, varied history and wealth of wildlife of the New Forest National Park. Please help by keeping to footpaths and by not allowing your dog to approach or chase wildlife.

Find out more about how the New Forest coast is managed and why it is special at:

www.newforest.gov.uk/coastal www.newforestnpa.gov.ukwww.northsolentsmp.co.uk

A changing coast: Hurst Spit

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Natural flood defences such as shingle, saltmarshes and mudflats absorb wave energy, reducing the impact on the seawalls and shoreline. The influence of the waves and tides depend on the exposure of the local geology. F

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Coastal management balances natural processes, the consequences of climate change, nature conservation and the interests of local communities to best look after the coast.

Management includes awareness raising, maintenance of coastal defences and allowing some natural realignment of the coast. In the long-term it may not be possible to continue to defend land or property from flooding or erosion.C

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Habitat loss due to a variety of factors is an issue. Most of the Solent’s saltmarsh is likely to have disappeared by 2050.

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Lapwing © Mike Read

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Walkers on the seawall © Andrew Colenutt

Redshank © Mike Read

Hurst Spit is a naturally formed beach that provides protection to people, property and wildlife habitats from South-westerly storms. The spit was breached during severe storms in 1989, causing extensive flooding. This led to the Hurst Spit Stabilisation Scheme; a recharge of shingle and construction of a rock breakwater took place in 1996. The Spit’s management plan involves moving shingle that naturally builds up at the end of spit back onto the beach to maintain its height and width, along with monitoring of beaches and wave conditions within Christchurch Bay.

Hurst Spit

Beach ‘recharge’ © NFDC

Coastal wildlife changes throughout the year. In winter, saltmarshes, mudflats and lagoons support internationally important numbers of birds such as Brent geese, wigeon, dunlins, redshanks and curlews. In the summer, shingle and saltmarshes provide nesting habitat for gulls, terns, ringed plovers and lapwings.C

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Climate change will have some of its biggest impacts on the coast. Rising sea levels and increased storm conditions mean that coastal defences will become more exposed, and the risk of flooding and shoreline erosion increases.

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Hurst spit

Graphic produced from aerial photography and LiDAR © CCO