PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Sand dunes across Europe are currently in a phase of dune stability and so lack dynamic conditions. In the UK, all the Habitat Directive Annex I sand dune habitats are in ‘Unfavourable’ conservation status due to such stabilisation, which leads to the loss or decline of those species which depend upon bare sand and early successional sand dune stages. Wales accounts for 11 % (8 101 ha) of the total UK sand dune resource, including rare and threatened dune habitats. The re-introduction of dynamic processes is therefore vital for the conservation of the full range of sand dune habitats.
OBJECTIVES
The SoLIFE project aims to restore dynamic processes in Welsh sand dunes, so enabling the free movement of sand necessary to improve the conservation status of all Habitat Directive Annex I sand dune habitats, especially the priority ‘grey dune’ habitat.
Specific objectives are to:
Restore mobile and early successional dune stages within targeted Natura 2000 sites (SACs);Remove threats to favourable conditions of dune habitats arising from invasive native and non-native species;Restore appropriate traditional grazing practices;Increase understanding of the functions and values of sand dunes in Wales;Monitor outcomes to improve management practices; andPromote best practice guidance across Europe.
The project contributes to the Habitats Directives (Annex I dune habitats and associated Annex II species), the Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 (Targets 1 and 5), and the Regulation on Invasive Alien Species. It also contributes to the Water Framework Directive, by improving the ecological status of groundwater-dependent terrestrial ecosystems in dune slacks.
Expected results:
Restoration of 1 465 ha of ‘grey dunes’, 12 ha of ‘white dunes’, 1 ha of ‘embryonic shifting dunes’, and 37 ha of ‘dunes with Salix repens‘ and ‘humid dune slacks’, through a combination of concrete actions including: o 10 frontal dune notches and 13 ha of dune re-profiling; o 24 ha of ‘grey dunes’ mowed, and bare sand areas created in two shifting dune habitats; o 13 ha of dune slacks scraped to benefit ‘dunes with Salix repens’ and ‘humid dune slacks’ habitats and the Annex II species petalwort (Petalophyllum ralfsii) and fen orchid (Liparis loeselii); o 44 ha of native scrub removed and 20 ha of native species managed by spraying to benefit ‘grey dunes’ and two other dune habitats; o 681 ha of dunes cleared of invasive alien species, such as exotic conifers, sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), Cotoneaster horizontalis, Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) and Japanese rose (Rosa rugosa); o Appropriate and sustainable grazing (with infrastructure) on 1 185 ha of dunes; o Rabbit populations supplemented at three sites; and o Unexploded ordnance cleared from 28 ha of dunes at two sites. Monitoring of restoration actions and the publication and dissemination of best practice guidance for dune rejuvenation techniques.
