The shallow coastal waters of Sussex are characterised by shingle beaches, iconic chalk cliffs and Marine Conservation Zones. The chalk geology creates wave-cut platforms and reef habitats that provide shelter and food for seahorses and lobster. The Adur and Ouse estuaries are flanked by mudflats and saltmarsh providing valuable feeding ground for wading birds and a nursery for juvenile fish.
Not only do these coastal habitats provide invaluable recreation for local communities, incomes for commercial fisheries and a home for wildlife they also absorb carbon from the atmosphere. Coastal habitats present in the Adur and Ouse catchment like sea grass, saltmarsh and sea kelp absorb 50 times more carbon per hectare than tropical rainforests.
These precious habitats provide many important functions from helping to mitigate climate change and combat global warming to the provision of shelter and food for biodiversity.
At the Adur and Ouse Catchment Partnership we work with organisations, such as the Sussex Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority, to protect our coastal waters and its habitats. Our aim is to protect and enhance our precious coastline for both people and wildlife now and into the future.
There are several pressures on our coastal environment in the Adur and Ouse, visit our interactive map to find out more