Earth Heritage

Visitor pressure.
Uncontrolled access.
Infilling from landfill and other waste disposal,
pollution and contamination of underground water courses and bodies.
Lack of information on the distribution and the
ecology of cave dwelling species.
Lack of reliable geological information which is
co-ordinated and communicated.
Development: expansion of industrial estates,
housing, coastal protection and regeneration.
Natural degradation/neglect: invasion of scrub
which obliterates exposures and dominates the
rarer wildlife habitats.
Pollution – air pollution, oil or chemical spill.

Torbay is famous for its geology. The inclusion of this Earth Heritage
section within the Nature of Torbay recognises the wealth of
geodiversity underpinning the biodiversity of the Bay and the
requirement to manage it sensitively. This action plans focuses on
Caves, Karsts and Mines, Quarries and Cuttings, Coastal Exposures
and Geomorphological Features.

Main Objectives & Key Actions:

1. Protect all sites that are of geological importance.

2. Conserve and enhance all sites that are of geological importance.

3. Seek to integrate objectives of earth heritage and wildlife conservation across the bay.

4. Establish improved communication and co-ordination between all groups with management, research, educational or recreational interests
in the earth heritage sites in Torbay.

5. Foster greater community involvement, public awareness and understanding of the value of earth heritage sites, both as wildlife habitats and as resources for education and study of the geology of Torbay.

6. Establish a programme of research and monitoring across the sites.

Click here to download the detailed Earth Heritage Habitat Action Plan. (652kb)

Earth Heritage