Edinburgh Shoreline

Perhaps if we understand and appreciate its past,
we will be the more empowered to protect its future

Edinburgh Shoreline project launched in 2018 as an exciting, new, community centred initiative celebrating the city’s 27km coastline.

We work with community groups to rediscover the coasts fascinating and often unknown history and the rich plant and animal life that survives against the odds in unexpected places, inspiring people to explore their coast and take responsibility for its future health.

The project involves people living and working in the shoreline communities from South Queensferry to Joppa. With support from artists and experts, communities are creating their own responses to their local coastline and sharing knowledge and resources with other shoreline communities to build a sense of ownership into the long term future.

An early highlight of the project was a major exhibition in the John Hope Gateway at Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden.

From summer 2019 we will be delivering The Wild Line: large scale habitat creation for pollinators, rocky shore invertebrates and seabirds along the Edinburgh coast.

The Edinburgh Shoreline project has been kindly funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Green Infrastructure Community Engagement Fund and Scottish Nastural Heritage's Biodiversity Challenge Fund. It is part of the wider Edinburgh Living Landscape initiative and is delivered by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Wildlife

The landscape of the Forth has changed, and man has encroached upon the land and water once inhabited by wildlife. Though species loss has been devastating, there is the opportunity for improvement.

People

People have lived beside the Forth for 10,000 years; finding shelter, food and making their living from the sea. Over time, we have exploited this resource and turned our back on the sea. It is time to embrace our shoreline once again.

Places

The Edinburgh shoreline is made up of a series of diverse and interesting places, each with unique characteristics. To face the future together, it is time for joined-up thinking. How will we tackle issues such as climate change and sea level rise as a city?

"Perhaps if we understand and appreciate its past, we will be the more empowered to protect its future"

TC Smout and Mairi Stewart: The Firth of Forth an Environmental History - Birlinn 2012

"Over the next 15 to 20 years more than 30,000 houses may be built along the shoreline; the future of the Forth depends on the vigilance and love of all who live around its shores"

"Sea levels along the edge of the city are going to rise, and we need areas that can be safely flooded"