
Project Neptune, also known as Enterprise Neptune, is a long-term project of the
National Trust
The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...
to acquire or put under covenant a substantial part of the
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, of or about Wales
* Welsh language, spoken in Wales
* Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales
Places
* Welsh, Arkansas, U.S.
* Welsh, Louisiana, U.S.
* Welsh, Ohio, U.S.
* Welsh Basin, during t ...
,
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
and
Northern Irish
The people of Northern Ireland are all people born in Northern Ireland and having, at the time of their birth, at least one parent who is a British Nationality Law, British citizen, an Irish nationality law, Irish citizen or is otherwis ...
coastline. In 1999 it was relaunched as the Neptune Coastline Campaign.
[Neptune Coastline Campaign information at the National Trust](_blank)
It is named for the
Roman god of the sea.
The Project began in May 1965 with the acquisition of
Whiteford Burrows Whiteford may refer to:
Places
;United Kingdom
*Whiteford House
Whiteford House was an English country house near Stoke Climsland, Cornwall. It was built in 1775 by John Call and demolished in 1913.
History
There had been a house at Whiteford ...
in the
Gower Peninsula
The Gower Peninsula (), or simply Gower (), is a peninsula in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is the most westerly part of the historic county of Glamorgan, and is now within the City and County of Swansea. It projects towards th ...
.
[National Trust: Neptune Coastline Campaign, the story so far](_blank)
The aim was to protect the coastline from being developed or industrialised.
[
By 1973 the project had reached its original £2 million fundraising target and looked after of coastline.] By 1986 the National Trust had raised £8.75 million through Project Neptune. The Project looked after of British coastline by 2009. By its 50th anniversary in May 2015 the Trust had acquired of coastline through the project, bringing its total holding to . This increased to , some 10% of the total UK coastline, later that year and covers an area of .
The Project owns some of the UK's most iconic coast including land near the Giant's Causeway
The Giant's Causeway () is an area of approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcano, volcanic fissure eruption, part of the North Atlantic Igneous Province active in the region during the Paleogene period. ...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, of the White Cliffs of Dover
The White Cliffs of Dover are the region of English coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliff face, which reaches a height of , owes its striking appearance to its composition of chalk accented by streaks of black flint, depo ...
and The Needles
The Needles are a row of three stacks of chalk that rise about out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel, United Kingdom, close to Alum Bay and Scratchell's Bay, and part of Totland, the weste ...
. The project includes four World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
s and nine lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Ligh ...
s.[ The Project has not been completely successful in achieving its ambitions, having had its £1 million bid for ]Land's End
Land's End ( or ''Pedn an Wlas'') is a headland and tourist and holiday complex in western Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, on the Penwith peninsula about west-south-west of Penzance at the western end of the A30 road. To the east of it is ...
turned down in 1981.
The Project is currently focussed on the maintenance of the coastline that it already owns, particularly with regard to coastal management
Coastal management is defence against flooding and erosion, and techniques that stop erosion to claim lands. Protection against rising sea levels in the 21st century is crucial, as sea level rise accelerates due to climate change. Changes in s ...
.
References
.
Coasts of the United Kingdom
Conservation in England
Conservation in Wales
Environmental organizations established in 1965
1965 establishments in the United Kingdom
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