New conservation heart for County Durham

A major new conservation project is proposed for the heart of County Durham. The idea is to be explored in a local, national and European context at a conference and exhibition to be held from October 18-22 at County Hall, Durham.

The England Biodiversity Group has recommended that central Durham should be one of the country’s first Integrated Biodiversity Delivery Areas, where priority will be given to conserving wildlife and creating new habitats.

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Durham coastline's diving delights

647883425 49mjo S Durham coastlines diving delights

Common lobster.

Divers exploring beneath the waves off Durham’s Heritage Coast have uncovered a great environmental success story.

Once one of the most polluted stretches of coastline in the UK, a Seasearch survey reveals it is now host to a colourful variety of marine life.

Divers encountered a varied undersea landscape of kelp forests, sandy sea bed and sponge-encrusted rocky reefs reclaimed by nature from the county’s industrial past that saw millions of tone of coal rubble dumped off the coast.

The Seasearch divers have recorded numerous species including lobsters, many types of crab, squat lobsters, northern prawns, little cuttle, sea slugs, urchins, common starfish, brittle stars and colourful anemones. Various types of fish have also taken up residence including plaice, bib and the ferocious sounding but harmless long-spined sea-scorpions.

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