Growing up in Cornwall for me meant growing up in the sea. My Sunday mornings from ages 8 to 16 were spent walking to the Surf Life Saving Club and I spent more time at the beach snorkeling than at my house over the Summer holidays. So it is safe to say I deeply love Cornish beaches and the memories they provide locals and holidaymakers. However, I also remember the beach cleans after school and watching Poldhu Beach become full of abandoned BBQs and broken bodyboards. Therefore, I think it is essential to understand both the threats and local efforts made to aid Marine Conservation in Cornwall and how you can help.
Cornwall's beaches include some of the most beautiful across the whole of the UK, with some being called the "Caribbean of the UK". Lots of these beaches, including Polzeath and Gyllyngvase, have earned the 2024 Blue Flag and Seaside awards. These are to celebrate the beauty and diversity of England's Coastline and the water being of the highest classification set by the EU Bathing Water Directive. However, a concerted local effort has been made to help these beaches maintain their natural, environmentally safe conditions.
From watching the news, we have all heard about the threats to the Marine environment. In this blog, I am going to show the specific impacts on our local beaches and the easy changes and efforts we can make to help resolve them.
Threats to the Marine Ecosystem
Whilst we are constantly hearing about climate change in our day-to-day lives, it can be difficult to imagine how it will impact our own lives. In Cornwall, we are expecting to see a rise in sea levels of up to 1 meter and increases in droughts and floods. These changes have already been shown to negatively affect marine life. We have also experienced more water pollution incidents than any other local authority area in England in 2023.
Plastic pollution is one of the more noticeable threats, from plastic casing trapped around seals and seabirds' necks to plastic bags being mistaken for jellyfish by predators. Microplastics are particularly effective in invading the smaller organisms of our marine life. A terrifying study in 2018 showed 70 particles of microplastic in every 100 grams of mussels. This not only affects the mussel's predators but also humans ingesting these mussels and, consequently, microplastics. Microplastics have also been found in seal poop and seabird intestines, showing their invasion into cornish waters and our marine ecosystems.
Whilst there are other threats we will touch on in later posts, these main three are not all doom and gloom as they can be improved by local efforts and education.
Local efforts and How to Get Involved
Where there are threats to our wildlife and oceans, you will always find groups of volunteers working towards the solution. Helping protect your Marine Ecosystem and beaches does not have to mean quitting your job and fully devoting to Surfers against Sewage or the National Trust! One of my first jobs was working in a Wetsuit shop, and when I joined we also had new owners. This shop sold both cheaply made and good quality bodyboards. My small contribution each day to the ocean while at work was promoting either the better-made boards or rental boards. I felt like I was making a difference each day because if I could prevent even one chean polystyrene board from being left abandoned on the beach or in the sea, I knew I was helping make a difference. From this, I learnt there are always ways to make a difference. I might not have completely changed the world for the better, but I made a small improvement. And a small improvement is better than no improvement!
In Cornwall, we have a vast selection of Marine Conservation groups, Wildlife trusts and other organisations contributing to protecting Marine life, Ecosystems and our beaches.
One of these is the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. Our Wildlife Trust runs lots of project groups aimed at conservation, with many specifically tailored to Marine conservation. These include the Marine Stranding Network, 6 Marine (Conservation) Groups, Seaquest Southwest and the Cornwall Seal Group. These Marine conservation groups in particular are a network of Your Shore volunteers in different areas of the county working to conserve the marine environment, raise awareness and encourage education towards the marine world. This Network has achieved cleaning beaches and estuaries, highlighting and campaigning against PIB pollution and educating schools and locals through activities into caring for the Marine environment. These successes might not seem monumental, however, education creates a better understanding of the changes needed and helps make a stronger connection to the world just on Cornwall's doorstep. If you want to make a difference in just ten minutes, this is the perfect place for you to start!
A beach clean is an easy, social way of keeping your local beach clean. Whether you go weekly, monthly or once a year, you are meeting like-minded people and contributing to your community in a free, volunteer effort. Whilst beaches may seem clean, the deeper you dig the more rubbish you will find. This impacts our shoreline and rocky shore habitats on all beaches, with rather significant impacts.
All over Cornwall, there are charity and volunteer organisations available to find your closest beach clean. We name just a few below.
National Trust
Looking after 780 miles of coastlines, the National Trust runs regular beach cleans across the county. They use these beach cleans to encourage people to enjoy the beach whilst also looking after them. On their website, you will find lots of information for projects cleaning up the oceans and rivers.
Surfers Against Sewage
This community is committed to keeping our oceans and beaches clean to protect wildlife and the waves. From organised beach cleans for all ages to educational resources for doing your own beach cleans with friends and family. They also use rubbish found to survey data from around the world, using wrappers and bottles from the 1980's to show the impact of plastic pollution.
Beach Guardian
With a focus on education and engagement with plastic pollution, this organisation was founded by a father/daughter duo from Cornwall. They organise beach cleans and educational workshops with schools. They aim to connect people with the environment to improve the health and well-being of people and the planet.
For those with a dive qualification, getting involved with Seasearch is a unique way of combining your hobby with Citizen Science. This National Trust and Marine Conservation Society project consists of volunteer divers recording marine habitats and species found on the coast. This data helps to direct conservation sites and create greater public awareness of climate change, plastic pollution and the effects of overfishing. Search for "Seasearch" on the National Trust Website and contact their team to get involved.
Hopefully, this gives you some insight into the threats on our coastlines and simple, social ways to become involved in surveying and cleaning up our beaches and coastlines. Future posts will describe in more detail the local efforts and groups to contact to get involved, however, this post gives simple guidance on where to look and fun ways to spend weekends with family and friends while making a change.
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