60% of the National Trust's 1,130km of coastline could be affected by coastal erosion within the next 100 years, the conservation body has advised.

And planning for potentially extensive coastal changes throughout the UK has now become essential according to a report entitled Shifting Shores.

Tony Burton, director of policy and strategy at the National Trust, said, "Over the next few decades, extensive coastal change – especially flooding and erosion caused by sea level rise and more frequent storms – appears inevitable. The UK cannot ignore the issue, and all sectors must plan how to adapt to a future of advancing seas."

The National Trust is the UK’s largest owner of accessible coastline. Over 1,130km – nearly 10% of the coastline of England, Wales and Northern Ireland – is now in its care, putting the trust in a unique position to measure the effect.

With sea level rise of up to 0.86m predicted over the next 75 years, the National Trust forecasts that 608km of its coastal holdings could be affected by erosion over the next century and that nearly 15% of its coastal landholdings could erode by over 100m.

Already, 126 National Trust coastal sites, covering over 4,000 ha, are at risk of flooding and a further 33 could be affected by tidal and river flooding within the next century.

Mr Burton said: "We are a barometer of coastal change and we wish to share our experience to kick-start a wider debate on how all sectors of the UK need to begin planning co-ordinated responses on how to adapt to the inevitability of sea-level rise before it is forced upon them."

"Our changing coastline demonstrates that the impacts of climate change are being felt today and are close to home. This should strengthen the call for action to cut greenhouse gas emissions, but we also need to adapt to the changes underway, working with the forces of nature wherever possible, to secure a better long term future for coastal communities and the environment."

Copies of Shifting Shores with seven case studies are available on:
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/coastline/save/coastal_policy.html