South Devon National Character Area (NCA) is predominantly a plateau, dissected by steep valleys and rivers, most rising on the adjoining Dartmoor NCA. Towards the coast the often wooded valleys and rias are remote and hard to access from the land. The majority of the area consists of mixed farming, with fields flanked by Devon hedgebanks and narrow winding lanes. The south of the area contains many internationally important coastal and estuarine habitats. These support populations of wintering waders and wildfowl, rare plant communities and also provide significant carbon storage. Much of the area is a popular visitor destination, with the South West Coast Path National Trail being a major asset. Historic market and coastal towns are strategically located across the area and the two major urban settlements are located at either end of the coastal stretch, Plymouth in the west and Torbay in the east.
http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/1911063?category=587130
The quality and character of the area is recognised by designation as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), containing all of the South Devon AONB and part of the Tamar Valley AONB. It also includes The South Devon Heritage Coast, Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site and the UNESCO ‘English Riviera Global Geopark’. Mixed farming remains the main agricultural occupation, although there has been a slight decrease in the numbers of livestock seen in the landscape. High uptake of agrienvironment schemes in recent years has led to significant increases to the largest remaining UK populations of the threatened cirl bunting. Fishing, particularly shell fishing in the area’s estuaries, is a significant industry along the coast.
Statements of Environmental Opportunity
- SEO 1: Protect and manage the coastal and estuarine landscape with its diversity of cliffs, geology, geomorphology, historic features, habitats and associated wildlife, contributing to the livelihoods, enjoyment and education of people.
- SEO 2: Protect and extend the mosaic of semi-natural habitats within a mixed-farm, productive and versatile landscape of high scenic quality, rich in biodiversity. Increase the connectivity of habitats by expanding and enhancing the network of traditional, floristically diverse hedgebanks and river valley woodlands.
- SEO 3: Protect and manage the nationally recognised and distinctive character of the landscape, the natural beauty, scenic quality, archaeological resources and historic features, such as maritime military sites, geological features and mining heritage. Enhance recreational resources, access to nature and heritage assets, particularly along the coast, to ensure public benefit and enjoyment.
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Ecosystem services
The South Devon NCA provides a wide range of benefits to society. Each is derived from the attributes and processes (both natural and cultural features) within the area. These benefits are known collectively as ‘ecosystem services’. The predominant services are summarised below (under the constituent headings)
Provisioning (food, fibre and water supply)
Food provision: The area supports a mix of different farming systems reflecting fertile soils, and favourable climate. While there has been a general decline in the number of livestock enterprises, livestock retains an important role in the landscape, with dairy and beef production dominating ahead of early-season lamb. Traditional breeds for this area include South Devon and Ruby Red cattle, which are still produced in good numbers and are a distinctive element in the landscape. The extent of arable cropping can vary in response to market prices but this is largely confined to the NCA’s Grade 2 and 3 soils. Traditional orchards, many with ancient fruit varieties such as the Plympton Pippin, remain a key landscape feature across the area but particularly in the Tamar Valley where there are cultural associations with cherry orchards. Much of the fruit is now used as a source of high value local produce. Market gardening and horticulture, notably the daffodils from the Tamar Valley, are becoming more noticeable at the local scale. Some of the high value products now have a national reputation. For example Riverford farm Organics, which started in South Devon, now distributes 45,000 vegetable boxes every week. The area is nationally significant for its fishing industry associated with the rivers, estuaries and rias, many of which support commercial shell fisheries, oyster and mussel farms, being the main reason why Brixham has the highest valued catch landed in England (£22 million in 2010). More than 50 per cent of the catch landed is shellfish. Most of the estuaries are designated bass nursery areas and several rivers have Salmon Action Plans in place to ensure the salmon can migrate from the estuaries to the spawning grounds upstream.
Water availability: The NCA overlies formations of impermeable rock and there is no significant groundwater resource. All the rivers within the NCA have catchments that spread into adjoining NCAs and are considered diverse in nature, incorporating reservoirs and tributaries. There are large abstractions from these catchments for public water supply and industry and many smaller abstractions, for example, for agriculture, the dominant land use. Five of the catchments in the south-east of the NCA, have water available for abstraction, but the majority of catchments across the NCA are over-abstracted or have no water available for additional abstraction.
Regulating services (water purification, air quality maintenance and climate regulation)
Regulating water quality: Water quality is particularly important to this NCA because of its large number of integral estuaries and rias, many of which are designated for their biodiversity value and support a valuable fishing industry. Water quality also affects the recreation and tourism sectors, in particular the beach users and the sailors and kayakers of the coast and estuaries. Management of water quality is currently being promoted and facilitated through the England Catchment Sensitive Faming Delivery Initiative, which has identified a significant part of the NCA (from the Dart in the east to the Yealm in the west, from source to sea) as a priority area. The key issues identified to be addressed in this priority area are the reduction of run-off of soil and nutrients, the reduction of faecal contamination entering watercourses and limiting pollution pathways on farm holdings.
Regulating coastal flooding and erosion: The cliffs are generally formed from resistant rocks that erode at a slow and gradual rate, making the coast relatively static compared to reaches of coastline to the east. However, there are parts of the coast that are characterised by low lying lagoons, salt marshes and other less resistant coastal features. If relative sea level continues to rise, potentially 80 cm higher by 2080, and with more extreme storm events, challenges will be created for some coastal locations including Slapton Sands, Beesands, South Milton Sands and Challaborough. The Slapton Line is the subject of a national demonstration programme in coastal adaptation. The Slapton Line Partnership has worked with local communities to anticipate and prepare for future coastal change.
Regulating climate change: The capacity of soils in the area to contribute to climate regulation is low. The soil carbon content of the largely mineral soils is only 0 to 10 per cent. However, it is known that estuarine mud and silt and fringe habitats, particularly reed beds and marsh, have high carbon content. There are 8 estuaries across this NCA and further salt marshes and reed beds along the coast. This potentially provides notable carbon storage.
Cultural services (inspiration, education and wellbeing)
Sense of place/inspiration: The area has a strong and clear sense of identity and place. Sense of place is provided by the area’s much dissected plateau of steep wooded valleys separating intricate but smooth rounded hills with a dense network of Devon hedgebanks, defining the field pattern, and settlements linked by sunken winding lanes frequently fringed by woodland. Distinctive rias, ‘drowned river valleys’, with Special Area for Conservation-designated estuarine habitats of tidal water, saltmarsh and mudflats and oak-clad slopes falling down to the sheltered water’s edge, are an essential part of the coastal character. The coast, much of it Heritage Coast, offers spectacular cliffs and sandy beaches with distinctive clumps of Monterey pine. Collectively, these are many of the special qualities that define the South Devon AONB that covers much of this NCA while the Tamar Valley, another AONB within this NCA, has the additional heritage of extensive traditional orchards, mining and market gardening.
Sense of history: A strong sense of history is associated with the wealth of archaeological remains including prehistoric field systems, drovers’ tracks and ridgeways, burial mounds, earthworks and iron-age hillforts such as Slapton and Blackdown Rings. Historic coastal features, particularly castles, blockhouses, batteries, pillboxes and slipways, mark the area’s strong links to military defences. There are good examples of these around Plymouth Sound and the Dart Estuary. Coastal settlements map historic links to the sea through fishing and maritime trading. In addition, a small proportion of the NCA lies within the Cornwall and West Devon Mining World Heritage Site, reflecting the area’s strong mining heritage.
Tranquillity: Tranquillity is high in certain areas, for example the tidal creeks with their steep wooded sides. There are large areas of rural, unsettled inland landscape and coast which remain relatively undisturbed and tranquil. In contrast, the urban areas, particularly in the vicinity of Plymouth, have low levels of tranquillity, as do the main road corridors, in particular the A38 trunk road.
Recreation: An extensive network of public rights of way, which includes the South West Coast Path National Trail, several regional trails and parts of the National Cycle Network, provides a valuable recreational resource. Further recreational opportunities are offered by open access land around most headlands and along much of the coastal corridor, and access to beaches. The maritime environment and estuarine systems provide considerable opportunity for water sports and fishing. The many historic towns and villages provide other leisure and recreation opportunities including access to local food, culture and heritage. The area has become a market leader in green tourism. The awardwinning South Hams Green Tourism Business Scheme has 69 accredited businesses in the AONB improving their own environmental performance.
Geodiversity: The geodiversity of South Devon is considered to be of sufficient international importance for the Torquay to Brixham area to be recognised by UNESCO as the ‘English Riviera Global Geopark’.
http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/file/5814337205698560
