Rare plant species are gradually starting to reappear in some of the UK’s most threatened habitats thanks to a pioneering partnership project which aims to conserve sand dunes across England and Wales.
The Dynamic Dunescapes project has seen Plantlife, Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, the National Trust and local wildlife trusts join forces to rejuvenate and proactively manage these unique habitats for the benefit of native species.
It comes after sand dunes became among the most threatened habitats across Europe and the UK, where they have declined by a third since 1900. Much of the remaining two thirds is in poor condition, in turn leading to the loss of both individual species and species abundance.
Dynamic Dunescapes aims to reverse this. The project started life as a trial at Braunton Burrows on the north Devon coast, which is the largest uninterrupted sand dune system in the UK. Concerned about the deteriorating habitat quality and species loss, Plantlife worked with Christie Estates, which privately owns the dunes, to carry out pioneering trials removing rank vegetation and scraping areas back to bare sand.
