Norfolk Broads (2) Flashcards
Impact of people - tourism
More visitors go each year
More car parks and centres have been built, which attracts even more users
Boat people have demands for public toilets, showers, laundrettes, shops, cafes
Summer visitors have demand for more camp sites and self catering etc
Key facts
41 lakes in 2000 hectares
Along the rivers Bure, Yare and Waveney
200km of navigable rivers
11th national park, only low land national park
3 nature reserves, 36 sites of scientific research
Formed from medieval peat diggings
320km of footpaths
Gains of tourism
Multiplier effect - boat hires make £10,000 of spending in local economy
Employment - 5,000 - 5,500 jobs created from boat hire alone
Encouragement of rural crafts - sold out to tourists
Education - visitor centres to teach people about the history and ecosystem of the broads
Losses from tourism
Eutrophication from sewage from boats
Too much traffic
Erosion - disturbs wildlife and habitats
Shallower rivers and cloudy water - due to eroded sediment
Honeypot sites have become congested with tourists
Visitors don’t realise the impact they have and don’t know how fragile the ecosystem is
Jobs are seasonal
Impact of people - farming
Nutrients being lost from soil
Crops are supposedly meant to be planted in a crop rotation, however many farmers plant the same crops year after year for maximum profit
Farmers also drain marsh land and convert it from grazing land to arable (grain) crop land
These facts lead to increased pollution and a loss of wildlife in the marsh lands
Artificial fertilisers
Also contribute to pollution in the water.
Nitrates and phosphates are put into the rivers by overland flow and surface run off
Management problems for the broads authorities
Bank erosion Diesel and other oil based substances Marsh drainage Agricultural sewage waste in rivers Excess nitrates from fertilisers
Bank erosion
Main cause is wash from boats, particularly motor boats
Worse where there is no fringe of reeds to absorb the energy of the wash
Solutions to bank erosion
Steel piling - looks unnatural
Geotextile matting - protects soil from erosion and allows plants to grow
Open cell concrete blocks - allows plants to grow in spaces
Gabon cages - very expensive and gives unnatural look
Recycled tyres - cheap and absorb wash effectively
Speed limits of 4-5mph
Wash free zones - areas where boat users are obliged to reduce wash
Diesel and other oil based substances
Oily film reduces oxidation in the water
Oil can overflow from drip trays of boats which can then be pumped into the broads
Diesel and other oily substances solutions
Encouraged to buy Eco friendly detergents
Leaflets handed to people hiring boats
Restricted access point for fuels
Research into holding tanks and toilets for all boats
Investment into better sewage disposal in boat yards
Marsh drainage
More than 750,000 hectares of land in the UK has been drained
From grazing to crop land to make more profits
Wading birds are lost and other species too
Water then moved to other exposed land areas
Marsh drainage solutions
ECO grants given to farmers to stop draining marshes
Agricultural sewage waste in rivers
Phosphates come from human and animal sewage into the broads
Ammonia content is high and damaging to the fish population
Many cases of farmers polluting were brought to court
Agricultural sewage waste in rivers solutions
New regulations and EU grants given to farmers - encourage new practices
Inspections and fines
Suction dredging - remove nutrient rich sediment from bottom of broads
Restocking river with 40,000 new fish
Campaign to raise farmers awareness
