Conservation of coastal dune habitats in the Atlantic Biogeographical Region. Roadmap for knowledge exchange and networking for the period 2023-2027: Supporting the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. Version 4: May 2023.
The roadmap has been compiled for the ‘dune network’1 by John Houston based on the outputs of the Natura 2000 Atlantic biogeographical seminars and the contributions of experts.
This version of the dune Roadmap marks over 10 years of productive networking between policy makers, scientists and coastal dune managers across the Atlantic Biogeographical Region within the framework of the EU’s Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process. The current version spans three reporting periods under the nature directives, three rounds of biogeographic seminars and numerous conferences, workshops, study tours, publication of best-practice manuals and research papers (listed in the roadmap).
PDF |Houston, J. 2023. Dune management and invasive species in the UK and Ireland: current position and future challenges.Report.
This review of dune management looks back 50 years or more to the concerns in the 1960s and 1970s about the impacts of non-native conifers and the development of dune scrub, to the present day concerns about invasive native and non-native plant species, and to the future by looking at what recently arrived non-native species, or yet to arrive species, might also become invasive. The Convention on Biological Diversity defines invasive alien species as species whose introduction and/or spread outside their natural past or present distribution threatens biological diversity. Within Europe, coastal dune habitats are particularly impacted by invasive alien species and the Atlantic biogeographical region (which includes the UK and Ireland) is considered the worst affected. Against this background dune managers across northwest Europe have been calling for the development of a regional ‘black list’ of invasive alien species and for greater sharing of experience across the Atlantic region.
De Vreese R., Battiau-Queney Y., De Kezel T., Helin V., Herrier J.-L., Lemaire, B. Levy Y., Ooms K., Prat M.-C., Puppinck F. 2018. International Workshop on Management of Coastal Dunes and Sandy Beaches. 12 to 14 June 2018, Dunkirk (France). Report of Sessions and Excursions—Comte ren-du des sessions et excursion. BOS+, Gontrode, Belgium.
Photos par Yvonne Battiau-Queney (EUCC France), Rik De Vreese (BOS+), Marc Leten (Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos), Kristien Ooms (BOS+) & Reinhardt Strubbe (Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos).
PDF |Houston J. 2008. Management of Natura 2000 habitats. 2130 *Fixed coastal dunes with herbaceous vegetation (‘grey dunes’). European Commission.
Fixed and semi-fixed dunes occupy a zone between the mobile dunes and the dune scrub and woodland habitats of coastal dune systems. The habitat is a main component of the extensive dune systems along the exposed Atlantic coasts of Portugal and France and also from north France to Denmark and much of the southern Baltic Sea. Grey dunes are found in almost all dune systems in the Atlantic region. The open nature of the habitat is maintained by extensive grazing, by native herbivores, rabbits and domestic livestock. The grazing of fixed dunes has a long history in northwest Europe but overgrazing, particularly in the Middle Ages, led to widespread sand-drift in many areas.
