from preservation to conservation; the restoration of sand...
TRANSCRIPT
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From Preservation to Conservation;
the restoration of sand drift dynamics in
Wales.
Sam Bosanquet, Julie Creer, Mike Howe,
Emmer Litt, John Ratcliffe, Ceri Seaton & Karen
Wilkinson
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Wales and its coastline
Wales! Hard & Soft coast
= Saltmarsh
= Sand dune
= Soft cliff
= Vegetated sea cliff
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Influence of climate change on
sand dune development
• Climatic conditions influence the morphology and
dynamics of dune systems. This is illustrated by
observations of past climate changes and dune
development trends.
• A changing climate influences parameters such as:
rainfall; wind speeds; storminess / wave action;
temperature / evaporation rates.
• A balance of these variables have influenced dune
stability / mobility.
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Dune mobility and stability drivers
The principal mobility and stability drivers in coastal dune systems (Pye & Blott, 2012).
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Welsh sand dunes,
what’s the problem?
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What have we lost in Wales?
Whiteford Burrows
bare sand losses
Newborough Warren
bare sand losses
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Loss of bare sand from 1940’s to
2013
Dune system Blown sand (ha)
in 1940s-50s
Bare sand (ha)
in 1940s-50s
Blown sand
(ha) in 2009
Bare sand
(ha) in 2009
Overall
loss (ha)
Gronant Dunes & Talacre Warren 240 26 (11%) 265 15 (6%) 11 (42%)
Tywyn Aberffraw 340 87 (26%) 344 13 (4%) 74 (85%)
Newborough Warren 1364 691 (51%) 1409 40 (3%) 651 (94%)
Morfa Harlech 986 82 (8%) 1066 23 (2%) 59 (72%)
Morfa Dyffryn 692 165 (24%) 696 62 (9%) 103 (62%)
Broomhill & Kilpaison Burrows 336 27 (8%) 336 4 (2%) 23 (85%)
Brownslade & Linney Burrows 332 91 (27%) 332 6 (2%) 85 (93%)
Laugharne & Pendine Burrows 629 108 (17%) 724 15 (2%) 93 (86%)
Pembrey Burrows 1677 86 (5%) 1871 34 (2%) 52 (60%)
Whiteford Burrows 148 77 (52%) 164 16 (14%) 61 (79%)
Llangennith Burrows 190 60 (32%) 186 9 (5%) 51 (85%)
Crymlyn Burrows 268 13 (5%) 323 2 (0.6%) 11 (85%)
Baglan Burrows 518 66 (13%) 574 11 (2%) 55 (84%)
Kenfig Burrows 878 154 (18%) 874 4 (0.5%) 150 (97%)
Merthyr Mawr Warren 559 218 (39%) 581 20 (3%) 198 (91%)
TOTAL 9157 1951 (21%) 9745 274 (3%) 1677 (86%)
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Directional trend
Observation of a directional trend towards stabilisation…
Images of Kenfig sand dune system, south Wales
1941 1962 1982 1999 2006
Image source: KPAL 2014 and Pye & Blott, (2012)
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Meesia uliginosa
Bryum calophyllum
No bare sand. So what?
Liparis loeselii
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Biodiversity losses
• Bryophytes
• Bryum calophyllum – now extinct
• Catoscopium nigritum – now extinct
• Meesia uliginosa – now extinct
• Fen orchid Liparis loeselii (S1903)
• Since the late 1980s, the species has been lost from three
(Pendine Burrows, Crymlyn Burrows and Baglan Burrows)
out of 5 Welsh sand dune systems on which it occurred.
• Invertebrates
• Broscus cephalotes – once widespread across dunes is
now restricted to the narrow strandline.
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Key research conclusions
Radical action is needed! Grazing,
mowing, scrub clearance and shallow
scrapes have failed to halt the decline
of key dune and dune slack species
(Rhind & Jones, 2009).
‘Coverage of 30-40% pioneer dune and
dune slack habitats, including 10-15% bare
sand, can be regarded as the minimum
required in a dynamic dune system capable
of supporting a wide range of species and
habitats’ (Pye & Blott, 2012).
Climate change is unlikely to reverse dune
stabilisation (Houston & Dargie, 2010)
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Areas of rejuvenation at
Newborough Warren & Forest
Newborough Bare sand
created (ha)
Phase 1
Winter 2012-2013 3.96
Phase 2
Winter 2013-2014
Zone 1 West
Zone 1 East
3.85
3.54
Phase 3
Winter 2014-2015 6.63
Total 14.44
Pre-works 40 ha (3% of site) = Bare sand
Post-works 54 ha (4% of site) = Bare sand
Phase 2
Phase 1
Phase 3
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Areas of rejuvenation at Kenfig
Site
Bare sand created (ha)
July
2012
May
2013
March
2014
March
2015
Phase 1 2.97 2.97 2.69 2.42
Phase 2 n/a 4.52 4.20 5.32
Phase 3 n/a n/a n/a 2.46
Total 2.97 7.49 6.88 10.20
Pre-works 4 ha (0.5% of site) = Bare sand
Post-works 14 ha (1.5% of site) = Bare sand
Phase 2
Phase 1
Phase 3
Dune slack scrapes
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Does it work?
Invertebrate records
Newborough Warren
• In 2013,
• 7 / 16 pioneer dune beetle species
colonising newly created damp
exposed sand.
• In 2015
• 9 / 16 pioneer dune beetle species
colonising bare sand in rejuvenation
areas.
• Several of these species had been scarce
or apparently absent from the site prior to
the rejuvenation work.
• Principal Component Analysis has
grouped the fauna of the excavated slacks
on Newborough Warren close to the
natural pioneer slacks found on Morfa
Dyffryn
Kenfig Burrows
• In 2014,
• Pitfall trapping by Natural Resources
Wales in an excavation on Kenfig
Burrows recorded Bembidion
pallidipennis in large numbers (over
600 specimens), having been last
recorded on this system in 1992.
• Three other slack specialists (Bledius
fergussoni, Dyschirius politus and
Tachytrechus insignis) were also found.
• The Vernal Bee Colletes cunicularius has
also been able to colonise excavations,
nesting in sand banks at Kenfig Burrows
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Does it work?
Fen orchid (Liparis loeselii)
2007 – 241 plants on Kenfig Burrows
DUNE SLACK SCRAPING
2014 - 44 plants on Kenfig Burrows
2015 - 412 plants on Kenfig Burrows (10,000
plants in 1970s and early ‘80s)
2017 – 1016 plants in turf-stripped slack
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Options for the future
Do nothing! Be bold!
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Future plans for Wales
Sands of LIFE LIFE17 NAT/UK/000023
• Restoration benefitting
• 1465 ha of H2130*
• 12 ha of H2120
• 37 ha of H2170 & H2190 (specifically
for P. ralfsii, R. rupestris and L. loeselii)
• 10 frontal dune notches
• 12 ha of re-profiled dunes
• 23 ha of H2130* mowed
• 12 ha of dune slacks scraped &
created
• 44 ha native scrub removed
• 681 ha of duneland cleared of IAS
• 7 ha of conifers removed
• 14ha dunes cleared of conifer stumps
• Appropriate and sustainable grazing
on 1185 ha of dunes
• Rabbit populations supplemented at
3 sites
• Existing rabbit populations managed
at 7 sites
• Unexploded ordnance cleared from
28 ha of dunes
• Monitor outcomes & promote best
practice on other sites
• Raised public understanding of the
dynamic nature of dunes and the
value of sand dune habitats and
species
• We are still waiting to hear if we have
the funding!!!!!
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Conclusions
• Stabilisation has reduced the intrinsic geomorphological interest of the
sites and poses a threat to the nature conservation interests.
• The trials currently underway are intended to determine the feasibility of
restoring a greater degree of sand mobility
• It will only be possible to determine the degree of success through
monitoring over a five to ten year period
• The trials offer great opportunities for new research into the interactions
between physical, chemical and ecological processes.
• Next steps…….. Sands of LIFE (LIFE17 NAT/UK/000023)
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Thank you (Diolch yn fawr!)