2026 is a landmark year for the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, marking 25 years since the Dorset and East Devon Coast was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status.
A big thank you to Molly Webb, our volunteer, who has created a brand new webpage to showcase the events taking place throughout this anniversary year.
If you’re planning any activities or celebrations, big or small, we’d love to hear about them. Sharing your events helps us highlight and promote the fantastic work happening across the Jurassic Coast.
Two dates in particular we are keen for events to celebrate the Jurassic Coast are;
18th April – World Heritage Day
6th October – International Geodiversity Day
Please contact us with your events to include on the new page.
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the Dorset Coast Forum Annual Conference on 19th November. This year was extra special as we celebrated 30 years of Dorset Coast Forum – a fantastic milestone for our coastal community!
The event was a great success, with 100 members coming together to enjoy 12 inspiring presentations, grouped into three thought-provoking sessions:
Rising to the Challenge: Navigating Climate and Ecological Crises
The Changing Tides: Fishing and Marine Nature Recovery
Shorelines and Stories: Building Coastal Community Connections
We’re incredibly grateful to our speakers for their engaging contributions, the information stand exhibitors, our hosts at RNLI College in Poole, and our generous sponsors: Suttle Projects, who sponsored the conference and DCF’s 30-year celebration and Moffatt & Nichol who sponsored their information stand.
25th Anniversary of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site
2026 marks 25 years since the Jurassic Coast was inscribed as a World Heritage Site for its exceptional and globally valuable geology, palaeontology and coastal geomorphology.
In celebration of this milestone, many stakeholders along the World Heritage Site are running special events and exhibitions. We will be helping to promote these events and have created a 25 year logo to help mark celebrations that are associated with the anniversary. See the full eNews for events planned in your area.
Do you have any events you would like to use to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the WHS? Contact us to let us know!
Schools across Poole and Purbeck are invited to celebrate Outdoor Classroom Day on 21 May 2026 with DCF and partner organisations including South West Flood & Coastal, Andrew Simpson Centres and Litter Free Dorset. Co‑hosted this year by the National Trust, the event will take place at Shell Bay, Studland. Following a successful 2025 event engaging 7 schools and over 160 pupils, this free day of outdoor STEM activities (suitable for Years 5–9) promises even more fun and learning.
Data from the 2025 boating season shows strong positive outcomes for the SBMP Eco‑Mooring Project, which protects Dorset’s largest seagrass meadow. All 87 eco‑moorings were well used, alongside continued scientific research led by the University of Southampton. SBMP volunteers analysed over 45,900 time‑lapse images monitoring compliance with the Voluntary No Anchor Zone (VNAZ). Results show excellent behaviour by boaters:
73% used a mooring
14% anchored outside the VNAZ
Just 8% anchored within seagrass meadows — a significant reduction from previous years
Encouraging signs of seagrass recovery were recorded in former anchor scars, alongside the highest number of seahorse sightings to date during monitoring dives.
While compliance remains high, paid mooring use reached 45%, an improvement on 2024 but still below the level needed to sustain the project long‑term. Continued support is vital to ensure eco‑moorings remain available in future seasons.
There is an exciting opportunity to join the Dorset Coast Forum team as a World Heritage Officer. This new post will be contributing to the protection and promotion of one of the UK’s most iconic natural assets – the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.
