Protecting our coasts

Kent 's coast designations

Kent is home to some special coastal and marine habitats, many of which are nationally and internationally significant.

On a national scale, the Kent coast contributes to the national resource approximately 35% of coastal chalk, 16% of saline lagoons and 40% of vegetated shingle. Some key areas include:

• The 8km of coastline between Dover and Kingsdown, representing the best example of vegetated chalk cliff in the UK
• The North Kent marshes, an internationally important area for supporting wintering and breeding waders and waterfowl
• Dungeness, the largest vegetated shingle habitat in the UK.

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These important habitats are largely protected by statutory legislation and designations, which include Ramsar Sites, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Areas (SPA).

The Kent Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) complements this protection, and seeks to be proactive in setting out what needs to be achieved to safeguard a future for our biodiversity. The Kent BAP has 12 Habitat Action Plans for coastal and marine habitats. For more information on the Kent BAP for coastal biodiversity, see the Kent Coast Fact Sheet.

Other organisations working to benefit Kent's coast

A number of different bodies work for the benefit of the Kent coast:

• Natural England and the Environment Agency, who play a regulatory and advisory role
• The Kent Wildlife Trust and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) manage a number of coastal reserves in Kent and work to protect wildlife, educate the public and restore habitats
• In addition to the bodies above, there is a wide range of special interest groups and coastal stakeholders that work together to conserve and enhance the coastal environment.

Partnerships

Working in partnership is key to the management and protection of the Kent coast. In recent years a number of partnerships have been established to manage important sections of the Kent coast:

• Thames Estuary Partnership - covering the estuary from Tower Bridge in London to the outer estuary limit of the Isle of Grain (Kent) and Shoeburyness (Essex)
• Medway Swale Estuary Partnership - covering the Medway Estuary (including the tidal stretch of the river as far as Allington Lock near Maidstone) and the Swale (which separates the Isle of Sheppey from the mainland)
• Thanet Coast Project - running from Herne Bay to Sandwich Bay
• White Cliffs Countryside Project - covering the Dover-Folkestone Heritage Coast, and the South Foreland Heritage Coast between Dover and Kingsdown
• Romney Marsh Countryside Project - covering Romney Marsh and Dungeness.

For more information about joined up coastal zone management, see the Kent Coast Fact Sheet.

Kent Coastal Network

In order to improve communication between Kent's coastal stakeholders and raise awareness of the activities taking place around the coast, Kent County Council established the Kent Coastal Network.

If you would like to become a member of the Network, register here.