Abstract
Freshwater, coastal grazing marshes provide an attractive habitat for breeding and wintering birds. In recent years, such areas have frequently been subjected to drainage improvements and conversion to arable. In east Essex, a land-use study of 16 000 ha of the coastal zone between Clacton-on-Sea in the north to Burnham-on-Crouch in the south showed that between 1938 and 1981, the area of coastal grassland decreased from 11749 ha to 2083 ha—a reduction of 9666 ha (82%). Most of this loss (92%) has occurred as a result of conversion to arable. The rates of conversion to arable were particularly high between 1938 and 1947 due to wartime increases in agricultural production and from 1970–1981, coinciding with Britain's entry into the European Community and favourable cereal prices under the Common Agricultural Policy. The rate of loss of east Essex coastal grazing marsh is compared with that for three other areas: Romney Marshes, Kent; North Kent Marshes; and the Broadland Marshes of Norfolk and Suffolk.
Published Version
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