John Hiscott o fthe Norfolk Wildlife Trust gave his analysis of the situation: 'The major impact of climate change in Norfolk will be on the coast. No matter the scenario, rising sea levels and more severe storm events mean the future loss of habitats on the coast will be severe.'

His statement summarises the feeling of climate impact inevitability within the conservationist community.

Freshwater wetland habitats are most at risk. Of international importance these habitats support over a million migratory birds each year, including the Bitten, a bird largely restricted to the reed beds of East Anglia.

The unfortunate postioning of these habitats are a concern for the RSPB. Remarking on the problem a spokeperson said: 'There is a real possibility that there could be the complete and irreversible loss of these habitats in the near future'.

The 'Coast in Crisis' campaign launched in 1999 represents the beginnings of a concerted effort by environmentalists to save some of these habitats and species.

Shoreland Management plans are being drawn up at the moment between Norfolk Wildlife Trust, the RSPB, English Nature and the Environment Agency.

These plans accept there are some sites that cannot be protected, and advocate a mixture of short term habitat protection, managed retreat and habitat replacement so we can ensure at least some of these unique habitats and species survive into the future.

Managed retreat is already being implemented. The construction of a new flood bank half way between the current shingle bank and the coast at Cley marshes, for example, is designed to sacrifice half of the freshwater marshes to the sea, while protecting the remainder.

Over the last 3 or 4 years the realisation has been that managed retreat is not workable in the long term.

The Coast in Crisis campaign suggests: 'It will not be possible and sustainable to protect wildlife habitats like Cley marshes where they are, they must be replaced elsewhere.'

Replacement strategies are only at the planning stage. If we are to maintain the current variety of wildlife in Norfolk in the long term, this strategy has no option but to succeed.