Protecting habitats

As both landowners and tenants, we strive to ensure we manage and maintain the land we occupy.

An autumnal view along the coast towards Porthdinllaen Lifeboat Station on the Llyn Peninsula. The lifeboat station is clad in wood and designed for reduced environmental impact. In the foreground is a coastal path with grasses and other wild plants, the station is situated on a yellow sandy beach, and the sea is calm, with mountains visible in the background, beyond the water. — Porthdinllaen Lifeboat Station on the Llyn Peninsula, Gwynedd, an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB)

We respect and adhere to conservation designations such as Sites or Areas of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI or ASSI) and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), ensuring we do not damage or interfere with the ecosystems, habitats and species of flora and fauna around us – both on land and in the water.

Marine animal rescue

After some rough weather hit Sandhaven Beach in South Shields on Friday 25 June 2021, RNLI lifeguard Alex Gwynn discovered an injured puffin. Despite the bird continuously pecking him, Alex secured it in his RNLI jumper and carried it back to the base. The team stayed on after hours waiting for the RSPB, who then transported it to a nearby RSPB rescue centre.

Lifeguard in red and yellow kit holds the injured puffin in his hands, protected by his red RNLI jumper — RNLI lifeguard Alex Gwynn saves injured puffin

RNLI lifeboat crew and lifeguards report sightings of marine animals to various conservation bodies and, being trained for every eventuality, often get involved in the rescue of these animals when they get into trouble.

In January 2020, our volunteer crew in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, launched the hovercraft to assist in the rescue of two dolphins who had become stranded on mud at Mucking, on the north bank of the Thames. In an operation that took around 2 hours, the crew worked alongside marine mammal medics from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) and firefighters to free the dolphins from the mud. Then, using two inflatable rafts – one on each side of the hovercraft – the two dolphins were ferried to the open water across the mudflats and refloated. Read more in our online article.

In April 2019, during a routine hovercraft exercise, the volunteer crew from Hoylake Lifeboat Station, Wirral, received reports of a beached porpoise off Meols. A multi-agency operation ensued between the RNLI, UK Coastguard and the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) to assist the porpoise and returned it to the water safely. Read more about the rescue in our online article.