Environment

Environment

Langstone Harbour is an internationally important wildlife site and crucially, an area of real wilderness alongside a major city. Food rich mudflats and saltmarshes support huge flocks of wading birds and wildfowl and rare seabirds nest on its islands. Underwater, the Harbour is if anything even more crowded with life. Pontoon pilings and mooring chains are covered in a wealth of colourful seaweeds and animals and reefs of native oysters provide a home for bright red sea squirts, hydroids and sponges. The same worms, crustaceans and molluscs that provide food for the birds also sustain a rich food chain below the waves. The shallow waters teem with plankton and are an important nursery area for young fish. In the summer months the alien-looking cuttlefish may be found, hunting and nesting among the weeds and eelgrass. Seals are sometimes seen in the Harbour, attracted by the abundance of food. A small fleet of local fishing boats also harvest fish, oysters and cuttlefish depending on the season, and many anglers fish from the shore.

Sailors, windsurfers and other water sports enthusiasts also share the Harbour with the wildlife, enjoying the peaceful sheltered waters, and providing a little consideration is shown, all the different uses can coexist in harmony. Landing is not allowed on the nesting islands and people should avoid trampling the mud and saltmarsh plants to ensure their survival into the future.

Nature conservation designations in Langstone Harbour

The habitats and birds of Langstone Harbour are recognised in both national and international law. Langstone Harbour Board has an important role in ensuring that any activities we undertake, or anything we permit others to do, will not harm this valuable environment. The Harbour Board is committed to protecting the environment and as well as its legal duties under the various designations, a 1999 Harbour Revision Order gave it a remit to protect and promote the Harbour environment.

Langstone Harbour is a shallow, fully marine natural harbour having extensive mudflats, which are exposed during low tide. The whole harbour is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and has international status. Together with Chichester Harbour, it is a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, and is part of the Solent European Marine Site.

Primary reason for protection

The bar built estuary of Langstone Harbour has complex marine and estuarine habitats including estuarine flats, intertidal areas supporting eelgrass (Zostera sp) and green algae and has very sheltered, almost fully marine mud.

Since 1995, much of the Solent's Coastline has been a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the EC Habitats Directive.

The Solent was proposed for its cordgrass swards (Spartinion maritimae), Atlantic salt meadows (Glauco-Pucinellietalia maritimae) and estuaries. For cordgrass swards, the Solent is one of two significant locations in the UK for this habitat and is unique in having all four species of Spartina. It is also considered to be one of the best locations in the UK for Atlantic salt meadows and estuaries.

Langstone and Chichester Harbour Special Protection Area (SPA) under the EC Birds Directive, is of international importance as it regularly supports more than 10,000 wintering wildfowl and more than 20,000 wintering waders making up internationally important numbers of species. The site is also designated for its internationally important populations of migratory wild bird species; significant numbers of around 15 migratory wild bird species regularly use the Harbour.

Langstone Harbour also qualifies because it provides a breeding site for three species of terns Sterna, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern and Common Tern.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) sites are designated by Natural England and represent the country’s best wildlife and geological sites. Notification as an SSSI is primarily a legal mechanism to protect sites that are of particular conservation interest because of the wildlife they support, or because of the geological features that are found there.

For more information:

Joint Nature Conservation Committee www.jncc.gov.uk

Solent European Marine Site www.solentforum.hants.org.uk/SEMS/homepage.html

Natural England www.naturalengland.org.uk