Funding bid for £20m ocean centre
Plans for a £20m Oceanic Centre in
north Devon have passed the first stage in a bid for lottery funding.
The UNESCO biosphere reserve covers more
than 1,400 sq-miles, stretching from the Braunton Burrows to the
Taw and Torridge estuary.
The Oceanic Centre would raise the biosphere's
profile and would be a rare blend of visitor attraction and "university
of the sea".
The hunt is now on for a waterfront location
for the centre.
Braunton Burrows is considered internationally
important because of the diversity and abundance of rare flora and
continuous human use over the centuries.
The UNESCO designation of being a biosphere
reserve means the area ranks alongside Mount Vesuvius in Italy and
the Danube Delta in eastern Europe in terms of international importance.
If successful, the centre's primary aim
would be to examine the relationship of the ocean with the environment
and its impact on how we live.
Source: BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/4760330.stm
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