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.
Alvarez Andrés, J. & Sanchez-Biezma Serrano, M.J. 2023. Guía visual y divulgativa de las especies de líquenes de los cuatro archipiélagos del Parque Nacional de las islas Atlánticas de Galicia. PNMTIAG.
A guía ofrece unha visión da vida liquénica existenteen todos os medios dos catro arquipélagos. A guía mostra a elevada riqueza e diversidade florística deste espazo natural así como a presencia de especies singulares e cunha distribución restrinxida. Así, quince das especies rexistradas no parque nacional están incluídas na lista vermella da UICN e dúas delas figuran no Catálogo Galego de Especies Ameazadas. É importante estudar e coñecer esta flora pouco coñecida pero cunha gran importancia para a conservación no parque nacional.
PDF |Jones, L., Rooney, P., Rhymes. J. & Dynamic Dunescapes partners. 2021. The Sand Dune Managers Handbook. Version 1, June 2021. Produced for the Dynamic Dunescapes (DuneLIFE) project: LIFE17 NAT/UK/000570; HG-16-086436.
Coastal sand dunes are found on coastlines around the world and support a high level of biodiversity, including many threatened plant, insect and animal species. These dynamic ecosystems are shaped by four key elements: sand, wind, water and vegetation. Sand is the basic material dunes are made of; wind speeds need to be fast enough to pick up the sand grains and move them; groundwater near the soil surface is necessary for dune wetlands to form; plants themselves are the fourth agent, which helps create different types of dune. Together, these forces shape dune landforms and the plant and animals that live in the dune system.
PérezDieste, J. & Almón, B. (2021). Fauna Marina Atlántica: Cnidarios del Litoral de Galicia. Jacinto Pérez (Ed.).
En este libro, nos hemos centrado en el estudio de un solo grupo faunístico, tal es la magnitud de la biodiversidad marina presente en el parque y zonas aledañas, seleccionando en este caso un grupo que es omnipresente y de gran importancia ecológica: los cnidarios. Este grupo se encuentra realmente bien representado en el parque, y por eso hemos querido catalogarlo lo más detalladamente posible. Anémonas, corales, gorgonias y medusas, son algunas de las “caras más reconocibles” de este filo, y su presencia en la mayoría de los ambientes marinos, los hace relativamente accesibles y fáciles de observar.
Rees, S. 2020. Definition of Favourable Conservation Status for Coastal Sand Dunes. Natural England. Report number RP2942. England.
This document sets out Natural England’s view on Favourable Conservation Status (FCS) for coastal sand dunes in England. FCS is defined in terms of three parameters: natural range and distribution, area, and structure and function attributes. Section 2 provides the summary definition of FCS in England. Section 3 covers contextual information, Section 4 the metrics used and Section 5 describes the evidence considered when defining FCS for each of the three parameters. Section 6 sets out the conclusions on favourable values for each of the three parameters. Annex 3 lists the references. This document does not include any action planning, or describe actions, to achieve or maintain FCS. These will be presented separately, for example within strategy documents. The guidance document Defining Favourable Conservation Status in England describes the Natural England approach to defining FCS
PDF |Natural England and RSPB, 2019. Climate Change Adaptation Manual - Evidence to support nature conservation in a changing climate, 2nd Edition. Natural England, York, UK.
The species distribution data from which maps and analyses in this report have been derived originates from a range of national recording schemes and societies, collated by the Biological Records Centre (BRC) on their behalf. BRC receive support from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (via the Natural Environment Research Council award number NE/R016429/1 as part of the UK-SCAPE programme delivering National apability). We are indebted to the volunteer recorders, and organisations who provide data to the schemes.
PDF |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 |David Frey, D., Arrigo, N., Granereau, G., Sarr, A., Felber, F., Kozlowski, G. (2016). Parallel declines in species and genetic diversity driven byanthropogenic disturbance: a multispecies approach in aFrench Atlantic dune system. Evolutionary Applications 9(3): 421-517. doi:10.1111/eva.12351.
Numerous studies assess the correlation between genetic and species diversities,but the processes underlying the observed patterns have only received limitedattention. For instance, varying levels of habitat disturbance across a region maylocally reduce both diversities due to extinctions, and increased genetic drift dur-ing population bottlenecks and founder events. We investigated the regional dis-tribution of genetic and species diversities of a coastal sand dune plantcommunity along 240 kilometers of coastline with the aim to test for a correla-tion between the two diversity levels.
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.
Houston, J. 2005. The conservation of sand dunes in the Atlantic Biogeographical Region: the contribution of the LIFE programme. In: Herrier J.-L., J. Mees, A. Salman, J. Seys, H. Van Nieuwenhuyse and I. Dobbelaere (Eds). 2005. p. 29-44 Proceedings ‘Dunes and Estuaries 2005’ - International Conference on Nature Restoration Practices in European Coastal Habitats, Koksijde, Belgium.
Since 1992 the EU LIFE programme has supported a series of dune conservation projects within the Atlantic Biogeographical Region. LIFE co-financing has been used to safeguard threatened sites through land purchase, to support the development of the Natura 2000 network, to undertake practical management and to interpret the functions and values of dunes to a wide audience. The additional resources from LIFE have been targeted at specific sites, at national programmes and, through wider networking initiatives, at the community of practitioners. LIFE projects have contributed to the development of European and National policies by acting as case studies and milestones. Dissemination of information is aided by practitioners networks such as the European Union for Coastal Conservation and through the series of conferences and workshops held within the framework of the projects. A further step may be to use the completion of the Natura 2000 network as a catalyst for encouraging a more coordinated approach to networking and for raising some of the key issues affecting dune systems at the European level.
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