A GEOLOGY expert who led the bid to declare Dorset's Jurassic Coast a World Heritage Site is stepping down.

Professor Denys Brunsden is to retire as chairman of the Dorset Coast Forum on Tuesday at an event which marks 10 years since the forum was founded.

He is due to speak about the future of the county's shoreline during the meeting at Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy and afterwards members will make a presentation to thank him for his pioneering efforts.

Professor Brunsden made the original suggestion to approach UNESCO about world heritage status in 1993 and the coast was awarded the prestigious title in December 2001, ranking it alongside the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon.

He was awarded the OBE in 2003 in recognition of his work with the forum and services to geoconservation and geomorphology.

Prof Brunsden, a landslide expert, said: "It is 10 years since we all set off on the journey known as the Dorset Coast Forum. We now have an agreed Dorset Coast Strategy and the Dorset and East Devon coast has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

"We have organised 16 forum meetings, numerous seminars and two fish festivals. We have produced numerous publications and participated in many regional and national consultations.

"The forum has carried out ground-breaking work on archaeology and marine wildlife, and dealt with issues such as oil transfers in Lyme Bay, fisheries management and water quality."

He added: "It would be easy to be complacent now but there is still much to do. More research, more understanding, more education and ever-changing demands require ever-changing solutions."

The new chairman will be Dr Robert Huggins, an environmental scientist who has previously chaired the forum's water quality group.

Dr Huggins said: "I would like to pay tribute to the brilliant work that Professor Brunsden and the forum team has done over the last 10 years.

"There are some mighty topics that require the attention of every member of the forum."

The forum must tackle issues such as the effects of environmental and sea level changes and how to manage the increasing numbers of visitors to the Dorset coast, he added.