WITH the ambitious house-building programme for south Hampshire and, if adopted, the Marine and Coastal Access Bill, we can expect greater numbers of residents in the area and therefore greater numbers of people using the Solent coast.

Is this a concern? Very possibly. The wildlife of the Solent coast is internationally important: wading birds, gulls and terns; saltmarshes, lagoons and shingle – familiar coastal features, but vulnerable to all sorts of pressures. Add to these the legacy of past sea defences and future sea-level rise, and the long-term picture may not be good.

Coastal wildlife may be able to adapt to a single change, whether it be more visitors, more leisure craft or fewer suitable open spaces. In combination, however, and with the more far-reaching threats of climate change and sea-level rise, these changes add up to quite a worrying cocktail.

Consider a wading bird: born in the summer in the Arctic, building up its fat reserves to fly all the way to Southampton Water in the autumn. Its first priority is to build up its energy again to help it survive the winter and make the return journey next spring.

This bird is programmed to come to the Solent for a good reason: rich feeding grounds on the Solent’s mudflats. This bird has a limited window to feed though: the tide is only low for a few hours a day, some of which will be at night. At high tide, the bird needs a safe place to rest. Unknowingly, people enjoying the coast by boat, foot or with a dog, will cause our bird to move somewhere else – possibly to a less suitable spot.

Our bird’s energy budget is so tight, that too many such disturbances may cause the bird to fail to make it through the winter.

Multiply this story a thousand times, and there could be serious impacts on these internationally significant populations.

This scenario is based on theory and is not currently backed up by actual field observations, but that could be about to change. The Wildlife Trust is involved in a project funded by partners of the Solent Forum, in order to specifically assess the likely impacts of increased human disturbance on bird life and other features of the Solent coast. If this study confirms that there are likely to be significant impacts, it could call into question the sustainability of a plan which will allow 80,000 new homes in south Hampshire – on the doorstep of the Solent.

If passed, the Marine and Coastal Access Bill would be a boon to wildlife beneath the waves, but the proposal to increase public access, whilst enabling more people to access and enjoy the coast, may also lead to increased footfall on some of the Solent’s sensitive habitats, including saltmarsh and vegetated shingle – something the relevant authorities will have to carefully manage.

The Wildlife Trust is part of an active partnership of organisations pushing to see house-building proposals undergo strict scrutiny for their impacts on wildlife and the environment, and is working with others to gather the all-important data to support decisions affecting the coast and the wider area or south Hampshire.

Wildlife and people can of course coexist, but there is a tipping-point where nature can take no more.