Future Landscapes

• How might the Somerset Landscape
  look in the Future?
• Upland
  • As it is Today
  • Focus on Agriculture
  • Focus on Biodiversity
  • Balance between Agriculture and Biodiversity
• Somerset Levels and Moors
  • As it is Today
  • Focus on Agriculture
  • Focus on Biodiversity
  • Balance between Agriculture and Biodiversity
• Lowland Coastal
  • As it is Today
  • Focus on Agriculture
  • Focus on Biodiversity
  • Balance between Agriculture and Biodiversity

Lowland Coastal - Focus on Biodiversity - 2060

Lowland Coastal Landscape - in 2060 if the focus is on biodiversity:

A strategic decision has been taken to allow the coastal flood defences to deteriorate. As the defences are breached by sea level rise, salt water flowing onto the former grassland areas and more natural tidal processes allow the development of a range of wildlife-valuable inter-tidal habitats such as saltmarsh, which is suitable for low intensity summer sheep grazing. The inland secondary flood defence embankment is maintained in order to continue arable production in the protected areas further away from the coast.

Upland

Somerset Levels and Moors

Lowland Coastal

Saltmarsh and other inter-tidal habitat restoration:

• Important wildlife habitat
• Natural channels and coastal processes protect inland areas
• Low intensity seasonal sheep grazing across the inter-tidal area

Hedgerows allowed to mature and increase in size

Vegetated buffer strips on field margins for wildlife conservation

Secondary flood defence maintained to protect agriculture further inland