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Tidal Suffolk
Welcome to the Tidal Suffolk area of our web site. This section contains a range of information about Suffolk's coastline and estuaries - a coastal landscape renowned for its scenic beauty and wildlife importance.
The Suffolk coast is approximately 47 miles (76 km) in length, running from Lowestoft in the north to the Stour estuary in the south. It is, for the most part, a natural and undeveloped coast with long shingle beaches and low, crumbling, sandy cliffs. The high quality of this coastline has been recognised by the inclusion of much of it within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
The coast is broken by five major estuaries, the Blyth, Alde and Ore, Deben, Orwell and Stour. They have, between them, approximately 176 miles (283 km) of tidal shoreline in addition to that of the coast itself, giving Suffolk a total shoreline of over 220 miles.
The importance of this coastal landscape for wildlife has been recognised through an extensive and overlapping network of nature reserves and conservation areas. However, Suffolk's coast and estuaries are also important for people, and the needs of commerce, tourism, recreation, and the wishes of local people must all be balanced with the need to protect the natural environment. Because so much of this area falls within the AONB, the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB Unit includes an Estuaries Officer to help co-ordinate the management these important but vulnerable areas.
A wide range of organisations and groups are involved in the care and managment of Suffolk's coast and estuaries. All of the estuaries have partnerships. In the case of the Stour and Orwell, the Estuaries Mangement Group is made up of 'Relevant Authorities', that is, those organisations that have powers or functions which have, or could have, an impact inside or near to a European Marine Site. On the River Alde and Ore (Estuary Planning Partnership), Deben (Deben Estuary Partnership) an the Blyth (Blyth estuary Group) the partnerships are the result of community action. Click on the links to the left of this page to find out more. However, it should be noted that the views expressed by the partnerships may not necessarily reflect those of the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB Unit.
To contact Trazar Astley-Reid, Suffolk Estuaries Officer, Tel 01394 384948 or email trazar.astley-reid@suffolk.gov.uk
 Suffolk estuaries map |