Alde–Ore Estuary

Alde–Ore Estuary is a 2,534 hectare biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches along the Suffolk coast between Aldeburgh and Bawdsey, and also includes parts of the Alde, Ore and Butley Rivers.^[1][3] It is in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty,^[4] and is a Grade I Nature Conservation Review site,^[5] a Special Area of Conservation,^[6][7] a Ramsar internationally important wetland site,^[8][9] and a Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.^[10][11] It includes two Geological Conservation Review sites, "Orfordness and Shingle Street" and "The Cliff, Gedgrave",^[12][13] and two nature reserves managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Alde Mudflats and Simpson's Saltings.^[14][15] The coastal part of the site is Orfordness-Havergate, a National Nature Reserve,^[16][17] and Orford Ness is managed by the National Trust,^[18] while Havergate Island is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.^[19]

Alde–Ore Estuary

Site of Special Scientific Interest
Location	Suffolk
Grid reference	TM 425 512[1]
Interest	Biological Geological
Area	2,534 hectares[1]
Notification	1992[1]
Location map	Magic Map

Designations
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	Alde-Ore Estuary
Designated	4 October 1996
Reference no.	862[2]

Natural England describes the scientific interests of the site as "outstanding and diverse". Habitats include grassland, fresh water, ditches, reedbeds, saltmarsh, mudflats, brackish lagoons, and the second largest and best preserved area of vegetated shingle in Britain. The birdlife is nationally important, and there are several rare spiders. Gedgrave Cliff has fossiliferous strata dating to the early Pliocene Coralline Crag Formation.^[20]

References

1. "Designated Sites View: Alde–Ore Estuary" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
2. "Alde-Ore Estuary". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
3. "Map of Alde–Ore Estuary". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
4. "Suffolk Coast & Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan 2013–2018" (PDF). Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB. p. 76. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
5. Ratcliffe, Derek, ed. (1977). A Nature Conservation Review. Vol. 2. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 9. ISBN 0-521-21403-3.
6. "Alde, Ore and Butley Estuaries". Special Areas of Conservation. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
7. "Designated Sites View: Alde, Ore and Butley Estuaries". Special Area of Conservation. Natural England. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
8. "Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands: Alde–Ore Estuary" (PDF). Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
9. "Designated Sites View: Alde–Ore Estuary". Ramsar Site. Natural England. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
10. "Alde–Ore Estuary". Special Protection Areas. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
11. "Designated Sites View: Alde–Ore Estuary". Special Protection Area. Natural England. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
12. "Orfordness and Shingle Street (Coastal Geomorphology of England)". Geological Conservation Review. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
13. "The Cliff, Gedgrave (Neogene)". Geological Conservation Review. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
14. "Alde Mudflats". Suffolk Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
15. "Simpson's Saltings". Suffolk Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
16. "Designated Sites View: Orfordness-Havergate NNR". National Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
17. "Suffolk's National Nature Reserves". Natural England. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
18. "Orford Ness National Nature Reserve". National Trust. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
19. "Havergate Island". Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
20. "Alde–Ore Estuary citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2017.

52.1°N 1.5°E / 52.1; 1.5