GOWER

First Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the Britsih Isles.

Why is Gower special?.

Gower, a narrow peninsula jutting 25 kilometres west from Swansea into the Bristol Channel, it was the first area in the whole of the UK to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The first area whose landscape, seascape, cliff land and beaches were recognised as being outstanding.

Gower is unique. In its mild climate and diverse habitats, upwards of one thousand species of plant flourish, including a dozen types of orchid and the yellow whitlow grass, a plant found nowhere else in Britain. Its birdlife is more diverse than any other area of its size in Britain.

There are four National Nature Reserves (including the internationally important RAMSAR site on the Burry Estuary), seventeen other nature reserves, twenty-seven Sites of Special Scientific Interest and fifty-five hectares of Heritage Coastline.

Add to this the wealth of prehistoric remains, (including one of the earliest, pre-ice-age, human skeletons found in the country), burial cairns, Bronze age dolmens and Iron Age forts, together with eight Norman castles, a host of churches and a fair sprinkling of domestic buildings - and the richness of Gower becomes apparent.

For many visitors, however, the first and most obvious attraction is the southern coastline from Mumbles to Worms Head. Here the cliffs drop dramatically to the sea (with the second highest rise and fall of the tide in the world) or, occasionally, open out into the sort of dune- or cliff-backed beaches of golden sand that are usually only seen in travel brochures.

They are a vital part of Gower's attraction; a vital part of the AONB and a vital part of the tourist economy.

They are also under threat.

Dredging for sand from the Helwick Bank, a mile offshore from west Gower, has coincided with a noticeable reduction in the level of sand on some of the beaches, to a point where there is more rock than sand.

Scientific evidence is still inconclusive, but this web-site has been established by local people worried by the implications; who are not happy with the idea of 'wait and see', but argue that the 'precautionary principle' should apply -: that no more sand should be removed until it can be proved that dredging is not harming our beaches. If we wait until dredging is proved to be harmful, it will be too late. Once the sand has gone, it has gone for ever.

The National Assembly for Wales will make the final decision on permission to continue or to extend dredging. If Gower is to remain an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, then we must use this opportunity to influence the democratic decision, to persuade the decision-makers that Gower is worth preserving for ecological and commercial reasons and (perhaps most important of all) for reasons of quality of life.

Why Gower SOS? What's at stake? How can I help?

The following is a brief summary of the major problem facing Gower, the first place in the British Isles to be awarded, (AONB) Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and how it could lose this title. The history of the "Gower Save Our Sands" campaign and the reasons the campaign has been set up and supported by so many people. The Helwick sand bank is a finite resource created during the ice age in inshore waters of the Gower coast. The deposit is being exploited by unscrupulous dredging companies for the profits of shareholders with little regard to the consequent environmental impacts on the local areas. Short-term profits for long-term loss; this is an all too familiar story in Wales.

1. Gower is a peninsular that stretches out from the South West Wales Coast line into the Bristol Channel flowing to the Irish Sea. It is predominantly rural with a spectacular coastline, and was as already stated, the first area in the UK to be awarded the title of "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)". The rural economy relies heavily on farming and tourism. People come to Gower from far a field for the tranquil countryside and the uniquely diverse coastline. An inspiration to poets, writers, artists and the thousands of visitors who come each year, it is rightly regarded as one of the finest stretches of coastline, which contains some of the most beautiful beaches you will find anywhere, not only in Europe but the World.

2. We believe "inshore commercial sand dredging" (underwater open cast mining) close to the Gower coast has several very important and emotive results. Primarily these operations impact on the sand levels on and close to our beaches with the consequence of increased coastal erosion. Secondly, the dredging results in the degradation of a unique marine habitat which affects directly local marine life and indirectly the birds that rely on this natural and delicate infrastructure. It represents an act of gross environmental vandalism, with potentially devastating consequences.

3. The ongoing depletion of Gower beaches is affecting not only our continued enjoyment of the unique coastline but also the tourism industry. The loss of jobs in tourism and connected industries are a serious consequence for the struggling economy in South West Wales that has seen massive loss of employment since the 1980's. After the battering from foot and mouth, this economy can ill afford to lose tourism.

4) Peat banks are now being exposed for the first time on some beaches, notably Port Eynon where the East side of the Helwick sand bank starts on Gower. The levels of sand have dropped so severely those rocks, not seen in living memory, are now revealed on several beaches. Historical photographs and anecdotal evidence confirm the scale of the loss. There are also reports that the problem is now affecting parts of Carmarthen bay & Pembrokeshire.

5) Legal Rape of a finite recourse (Fragile habitat of a Glacial Sand Relic) that can not regenerate it's self. The sand bank was formed during the Ice age. The species that live within the bank have had to adapt to survive in its hostile environment. The Bristol Channel has the second highest tidal flow in the world. Over 100 million tons of sand, a finite resource, has been dredged from Helwick and the other local banks. This glacial sand relic can never be replaced

Why is this madness allowed to continue?

The National Assembly of Wales Minister for the Environment passes applications for the granting of licences to dredge sand for commercial purposes for places such as Gower's inshore Helwick sand bank. These decisions are based largely on extremely limited research that we believe is fundamentally biased, due to it mainly being paid for and supplied by the dredging industry. (This is a bit like asking the Cigarette companies to report on whether smoking should be banned).

A major environmental impact assessment needs to be undertaken to adequately justify the decision to continue the granting of licenses for operations of this kind. The Onus should be on the Welsh Assembly as well as the dredging companies to utilise all available resources to show that there is no link between the dredging and the coastal erosion before permission for licences are granted.

The truth is that no-one knows the full reasons for the loss of sand on the beaches. What we do know is that Gower sand loss has been most dramatic during the period of dredging from the Helwick Bank. Photographic evidence demonstrates this irrefutably. Even the dredging companies now admit that this is happening. It is simply madness to continue with a known contributory activity like dredging in these circumstances.

The licence granted to the dredging companies is finally issued by The Marine Department at the Crown Estates office in London. Money is earned by the Crown Estates in royalties paid for every ton of sand extracted. The more sand extracted the greater the profits for both the crown and the dredging company's shareholders. After extraction the sand is sold on to the open market for distribution. Around 30% of UK sand is shipped overseas, frequently to countries like the Nederland's that forbid near-shore dredging in their own waters. Short term profit for a few shareholders that we believe has a tragic long term loss for the majority of local residents and visitors, who are left to pick up the pieces seeing our beautiful beaches being destroyed and an irrecoverable loss for future generations.

Caution needs to be exercised as we have learned through history that business is more than likely to pull the wool over the eyes of decision makers and the general public for an increase in their profits. As an example, cigarette companies discredited claims for many years about the perceived connection between smoking and cancer. Although at the time there was no proof, it was obvious to most people with all the visible signs around them that there was a connection. So the dredging companies are trying to claim there is no connection between inshore commercial finite sand dredging, along are coast and the visible sand erosion along are shores.

The Welsh Assembly Government, in its inaugural manifesto 'Better Wales' made two key promises to the people of Wales. It pledged to 'listen to the voices of local people' and to 'protect the environment for future generations'.

So far, over 30,000 people have signed petitions opposing near-shore sand dredging.

We, the supporters of Gower SOS - and everyone who loves the infinite variety of Gower - must hold the Welsh Assembly Government to its promises. We must never let politicians forget that when they preach 'sustainability' their decisions must follow suit.

Countries like the Nederland's do not allow commercial sand dredging of this kind within 25 kilometres of its shores. Most European governments take the issue very seriously. So it is doubly ironic that the company dredging Helwick sand at Gower, is owned by a Company from the Nederland's www.boskalis.com and one of the other companies dredging just eastwards along the coast, is apparently owned by the same person Lord Hanson www.hansonplc.com he is believed to have once owned British Imperial tobacco!

It has therefore been left in our hands, the supporters of Gower SOS, to ring the alarm bells, that there is a probable connection between the sand bank and the shore and to increase the awareness of consequent dangers of proceeding down this current perilous path. It seems until that time, the Environment Minister for Wales supported by the mandarins at the National Assembly for Wales and the subservient City of Swansea County Council, are quite happy to pass the buck and authorize by instruction that the Crown Estates go ahead and grant more licences, be them new ones, or by convenient, so called further extensions! This would seem they just want to bury their heads in the sand, or what's left of it.

Unfortunately by the time that the relevant authorities are convinced of the connection, we fear that it will be far too late for what sand is left. We all hope that the responsible bodies will see sense and air on the side of caution and that it's not too late to put the Genie back in the bottle or the lid on Pandora's Box. They must know that future generations will hold them accountable for their present course of action, or lack of action as seems to be the case.

The guardians that the people have voted for to represent them and look after their heritage and legacy are ignoring the vast majority of the people's wishes. Over 30,000 local signatures so far, have been handed into a cross party delegation made up of Labour, Plaid Cymru, Conservative and Liberal Democrat Assembly Members at the National Assembly of Wales. This petition includes a huge proportion of the local community.

How is the sand removed?

The dredging ships, equipped with large suction pipes like giant vacuum cleaners, suck the sand up from the sand bank undoubtedly causing great distress to all the marine life it encounters. At the same time of taking away this fragile habitat, and depositing vast quantities of silt back into the water column which takes decades to settle, the natural sea defences that the bank creates for Gower's coast line is also depleted with obvious consequences.

We would like to see an immediate and indefinite minimum 10 mile total Commercial Dredging exclusion zone around Gower's coast line. As the sand bank is being legally plundered for its finite resource we believe this effect is causing the beach sand levels to drop while the sand replenishes the bank over a period of time with the tidal drift, wave action and complex sea currents.

Just like any complex system the alteration of one small part of that system can have huge consequences to another part of the system. As the now worldwide accepted chaos theory dictates, the fluttering of a butterfly's wings in Mexico can eventually cause a cyclone in the Philippines. It does not take much to tip the scales, just like the straw which broke the camels back. With the Bristol Channel having the second largest tidal ranges in the world with the associated extreme currents, a small change in the shape the sand banks so close to the coast could have devastating consequences and knock on affects to other South West Wales beaches and coast line and the sand banks have been built up over millennia. To interfere with the banks in such a reckless way, is to court disaster.

Alternatives for sand extraction exist. The dredging companies could go 10 miles further offshore; in fact the Dutch dredging company boasts on its website that it is a specialist in deep-water dredging. Another option is the use of recycled aggregate products, locally available. Unfortunately the government has dragged its heels on this. Short-term gain for long term loss.

If we all act together now and err on the side of caution, taking the common sense, precautionary approach by stopping this madness of inshore commercial sand dredging within 10 miles along our shores, Gower may one day in the future retain some of its Marine Habitat and prevent further coastal erosion and loss of sand from our beautiful beaches.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and we hope you will add your support to Gower Save Our Sands. Please take it upon yourself to inform others of Gower's plight, where and whenever you have the opportunity to do so and ask those people to kindly do the same. This will be a tremendous help and you will know that you have played your part in doing something to help.

You can get actively involved with Gower SOS by writing for example to your MP, MEP or AM and also alerting the media of your choice. The relevant authorities are The Marine Department of the Crown Estates London, The National Assembly of Wales, Cardiff and Swansea County councils. Also if you can find the time collecting petitions, this can be printed off from the Gower SOS web site. You can forward us your e mail address through the home page to be added to our mailing list and we can then keep you up to date with any important news updates.

With your support for Gower SOS, maybe we can stop this desecration before it is too late, so that future generations can appreciate and enjoy the golden beaches, wildlife and our proud local heritage that is dear to the hearts of those who, live in Gower and all those who have ever visited.

Please take your time looking at the web site;

We hope you will forward this information on to others.
Thank you.

Gower SOS would like to thank for the preparation of this summary:
Michael Jenkins, Aled Morgan, Sue Kent, Conrad Watkins and special thanks to all the support from Peter Hutchins at KeyFrame.