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Sea reclaims part of RSPB Titchwell Marsh03/09/2008 08:44:54
Titchwell Marsh, credit Mike Page/ RSPB.
History of Titchwell Marsh
August 2008. The RSPB has taken some radical action to save one of its best-loved reserves from the sea. Titchwell Marsh, which lies on the north Norfolk coast, faces inundation by the North Sea which is slowly but surely eroding the 30-year-old sea walls that protect it.Titchwell Marsh was first claimed from the sea for farming and agriculture. Sea walls were built and the whole area of the current reserve was taken out of the surrounding saltmarsh, enclosed and used as arable farmland and grazing marsh. During the Second World War, part of the area was also used by the military as a tank range. After the floods of 1953, the sea walls were not rebuilt and the area went back to saltmarsh. It was left like that for 20 years. The RSPB bought the site in 1973, building walls to protect 56ha from the sea. In the 1990s, an area of dunes in front of the reserve was eroded by the sea, and formed a creek and the current tidal marsh. To avoid losing the whole reserve, the RSPB has decided to allow the sea to reclaim part of the reserve in order to save the rest. If the waters were to break through then the entire reserve, a mix of brackish and fresh water marshes and scarce reedbed, will be lost along with rare breeding birds like the bittern and marsh harrier. Blow to the economy Under the scheme, the sea wall will be moved back behind the present brackish marsh, which will be allowed to return to tidal saltmarsh. Geology of Titchwell MarshTwo long shore drift systems going in opposite directions meet at Titchwell and continually move sediment away from the site, causing erosion. This is linked to the presence of Scolt Head, a spit that is gradually extending westwards along the coast towards Titchwell Marsh; around 50 years from now, it is expected to provide a barrier protecting the reserve. Bitterns The work carried out at Titchwell Marsh should secure the much-loved site's future for at least 50 years, by which time the danger of further erosion may have past. Rob Coleman, the reserve's manager, said: "I know this is a huge change for Titchwell and for the very many people who share our deep love for the reserve, but the need to go ahead with this scheme was clear. We faced a stark choice between sacrificing the brackish marsh or losing the whole site to the sea. In drawing up these changes we have listened hard to local people and to visitors. As a result, the new-look site will keep and improve on all the things that make Titchwell special for them."
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