The Common Enemy: coastal erosion and the protection of environmentally important sites.

Protection of environmentally important sites. The article examines the legal regimes protecting wetlands, habitats and wild birds under the Ramsar Convention and the EC Habitats and Birds Directives and in particular, the provisions regarding activities which adversely affect protected sites. Examples of some of the issues faced by specific English sites which are particularly vulnerable to coastal erosion are considered. Finally some of the recent Government strategies and policies on coastal erosion and the nature of compensatory measures are reviewed.