Dune Roadmap of the Atlantic Biogeographical Region
Roadmap for knowledge exchange and networking for the period 2023-2027: Supporting the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the conservation of coastal dune habitats in the Atlantic Biogeographical Region.
NITROGEN BIOMONITORING with BRYOPHYTES in DUNES
Jeroen Geurts, Camiel Aggenbach, Eva Remke, Maxime Lemmens & Erik Sanz Mali
High nitrogen levels indicate overload from deposition. This study examined the influence of nitrogen loads on dune grassland ecosystems by measuring nitrogen levels in mosses and lichens. Moss samples in Dutch and other Northwest European dune areas were collected in a range from relatively low to relatively high nitrogen deposition. At most Dutch monitoring sites in dry dune grasslands, the nitrogen content in pleurocarp mosses is high and in the range where saturation with nitrogen occurs in the biomass due to high nitrogen deposition. This is one of the reasons why nitrogen content in mosses in Dutch dune grasslands currently has no clear relationship with modelled nitrogen deposition, whereas mosses and lichens in reference areas with a lower nitrogen deposition do show this relationship. It can be concluded that the current nitrogen deposition has a major impact on the nitrogen cycle in the vast majority of Dutch dune grasslands.
The publication in dutch, you will find HERE.
Handbook Coastal Dune Management
Jones, L., Rooney, P., Rhymes. J. and Dynamic Dunescapes partners, GB
A comprehensive handbook discussing the wide range of dune management options available to address the issues faced by coastal sand dune systems, including overstabilisation and invasive species. Management interventions detailed include notches, grazing, turf-stripping and scrub clearance. This handbook is designed to be a useful, in-depth resource for sand dune site managers, and aims to keep our management techniques up to date for the needs of dune conservation in a variety of situations.
Ecological Impacts of Coastal Protection on the Vegetation of Sandy Coasts at the German Baltic Sea Coast
Sand nourishments and groynes as coastal protection measures (CPM) address similar challenges on sandy coasts but take different approaches: while groynes are intended to reduce alongshore sediment transport and erosion, nourishments add new sediment to the system to compensate for erosion. The aim of this study is to compare the ecological effects of such measures on the vegetation. To this end, nutrient analysis and botanical mappings were carried out on a site with installed groynes, a site where sand nourishments are regularly carried out, and a control site without any CPM. In addition to an increase in nutrient availability after the sand nourishment, significant changes in plant species diversity and composition were also measured. The number of higher plants, mosses, and lichen species was lower at the nourishment site. The opposite impacts were observed at the groyne site: an increase in sediment cover by higher plants and mosses and a distinct increase in lichen species. The results suggest that groynes lead to a stabilization of the coastal system and enable dense vegetation growth. In contrast, sand nourishments lead to nutrient input and unstable habitat conditions, attracting certain plant communities but preventing the establishment of ground-covering vegetation.
Glueck, D.; Schiefelbein, U.; Schubert, H. Ecological Impacts of Coastal Protection on the Vegetation of Sandy Coasts at the German Baltic Sea Coast. Coasts 2024, 4, 437-453. https://doi.org/10.3390/coasts4020022