Developing a UK Dune Restoration Programme

Sue Rees, Natural England Senior Environmental Specialist, Coastal Habitats

Distribution and extent of UK coastal dunes

Map Source: Coastal Geomorphology of GB, JNCC 2003

UK Dune extent by country (ha) Scotland: 50,000 Wales: 8,000 England: 12,000 Northern Ireland: 3,000 (not on map) Range of dune forms: small and large systems. High biodiversity & landscape value: many designations Private and public ownership Important for flood risk management & tourism Total includes modified dunes, golf courses, plantations etc.

Annex I sand dune habitats in UK

UK SACs for coastal dunes Source:JNCC

Management at site level by machines, livestock, nature

Improvement Programme for England’s N2k Sites

Issues evaluated by • Site improvement plans • Theme Plans

Reflects Article 17 conservation status reports Sand dunes clearly need more sustained

restoration action for habitats and species!

Dune management conundrum

Reversing over-stabilisation/restoring hydrological processes • Low confidence in application • Perceived as damaging • Scale of works to mitigate nutrient inputs & increase water table • Availability of evidence about what works • Public perception

BUT may be better for: • Biodiversity • Dune functionality • Flood risk management

Focus for management and restoration

• Soils: nutrients, chemistry, • Hydrology and water table restoration • Geomorphology/sediment processes: past, present and future • Dune dynamics/topography • Space for roll-back and seaward expansion

• Plant strategies - seed banks, dispersal • Vegetation succession and timescales after restoration • Maintaining important transitions • Creating optimum conditions for species • Removing invasive/non-native vegetation • External influences – pollution, coastal management etc. • Climate change mitigation

Draft vision for project bid: To restore a more open and dynamic nature to the UK’s coastal sand dunes, securing their distinctive landscape into a changeable future, for people and for the many characteristic plants and animals dependent on dunes.

Approach to funding bids

• Stage 1: 2016 Develop bid for HLF (national lottery) funded UK-wide dune project Complements current HLF species project bid on one English dune site Strong partnership element

• Stage 2: 2017 Build on stage 1 to focus on Natura 2000 sites Influenced by PAF Increase range of partners Dovetail with other bids

“Hey everyone, we’ve found some bare sand! What now?”

Dare to be bare…?

• Reactivation-what’s needed for different aspects of dune function? • How much bare sand? • Time for cycles of succession-how long? • What methods give best results?

How should we develop a bid with high chance of success? How to secure effective partner and public engagement?