Page 12 - Natural World Spring 2018
P. 12
People & wildlife
The dune system
at Lancashire’s
Formby Point
david chapman Scenery.
Habitat.
Flood defence.
There’s more to sand dunes than you might think. Kate Owen of
Lancashire Wildlife Trust takes us for a gallop through their main virtues
W ith their swaying marram appear, attracting some of the UK’s pools. Damp-loving plants dominate
grass and golden sand, rarest moths and butterflies. The the flora. If the progression of the
dunes may not look like the larvae of some feed exclusively on dunes inland isn’t halted by human
most diverse of habitats. But they dune plants. Migratory birds also use development, the system culminates
teem with life, lots of it found patches of scrub for a quick rest. If in heath or woodland.
nowhere else: internationally rare you hear a noise like two stones
flowers such as Isle of Man cabbage, being rubbed together, it’s probably Dunes have a vital role to play in
natterjack toads and wall brown a stonechat, one of many birds that coastal defence. When pounded by
butterflies. breed in the dunes. stormy waves they release sand,
taking the power out of the water
Part of the reason sand dunes Between the dunes are the slacks, and protecting homes and towns
contain so much life is their range of a wetland habitat, where the sand behind. The dunes can then naturally
unique habitats. The mobile dunes has been eroded down to the water repair themselves. This protection
are dominated by marram grass but table. Frogs, natterjack toads and comes without a hefty price tag,
there is also plenty of bare sand. This newts lay their eggs in the shallow unlike expensive man-made coastal
gives solitary bees a place to dig defences with limited lifespans.
burrows, and butterflies and moths a They protect
chance to bask. It is an ideal place for homes from The UK’s 56,000ha of coastal sand
rare sand lizards to lay their eggs. the power of dunes have been identified as a
storms priority for conservation. They face
As you move inland, dunes become big challenges, including human
less mobile and marram grass loses development, erosion, non-native
its grip. In the spring and summer species and rising sea levels. The best
hundreds of bright wildflowers way to manage dunes against these
12 NATURAL WORLD spring 2018
