Erosion is the key to the conservation of the World Heritage Site. This coast is only interesting and beautiful because it is falling into the sea! Erosion maintains exposure of the cliff faces and it is the rock layers we see within them that reveal a record of geological time; 185 million years of the Earth's ancient history can be seen along just 95 miles of coastline.

Erosion also ensures a constant supply of fossils to the beaches, especially along the West Dorset coast where the cliffs are particularly soft. And erosion itself is actually part of the reason why the coast is a World Heritage Site - the range of coastal landforms, the cliffs, beaches, sea stacks and landslides, have all been created by erosion, providing an open laboratory for the study of coastal processes.

The Site is protected by existing UK conservation law through Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which are identified and monitored by Natural England (previously English Nature). The geological interest is described in the Geological Conservation Review (GCR), identified by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. The greatest threats to the Site are through coast defences and inappropriate fossil collecting. The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Team provide geological expertise on the ground for the management and monitoring of the Site including working with coastal engineers on the Shoreline Management Plan process, research scientists and local fossil collectors.

The State of Conservation report is an assessment of the World Heritage Site from January 2007. It is anticipated that this statement will be updated regularly using this template. At the time of writing, the MSC Napoli Incident had just started and therefore this report does not contain a full assessment of the implications of this accident on the Site.
Read the statement_on_site_conservation_jan_2007 (126.25 Kb)

Conservation describes the designations and planning systems that protect the coast. Management Issues identifies the threats. Earth Science Research outlines work that aims to promote the research. LGAP is the Dorset Local Geodiversity Action Plan - a plan to promote, protect and enhance the geological interest of the county.