Bird Wise Research and Strategy Reports
The north Kent coast between Gravesend and Whitstable is internationally important for wildlife. The Thames, Medway and Swale estuaries and marshes are protected under international designation as Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Ramsar Sites. Every year, around 250,000 waders and waterfowl travel thousands of miles to spend winter on the north Kent coast, feeding and resting on the marshes in preparation for the long return journey to their breeding grounds in the spring. Research shows that recreational visitors can cause disturbance to these birds, reducing their chances of successful breeding. The North Kent Strategic Access Management and Monitoring Strategy (SAMMS) was prepared in 2014, setting out a package of strategic measures for resolving the additional disturbance issues to wintering birds, arising from new housing development.
Read our Background Research Reports
The background research and reports that underpin the strategy can be found using the links below.
Read our Annual Reports
Progress against our strategy is reported to our Board at the end of each financial year. You can read our annual reports here.
Read our Strategy Documents
Our Strategy explains in detail how we will implement recommendations made in the background reports. Our current strategy was adopted in December 2024 and will be reviewed every five years. The documents are available via the links below.
Monitoring Reports
We undertake monitoring of bird disturbance and visitor behaviour on our coastline every five years. You can read the latest monitoring reports here.