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| Sefton Coast Partnership | Shoreline Management | Nature and Wildlife | Coastal Heritage | Visiting the Coast | Students and Teachers | Coastlines | |
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Summer 1996The Sefton Coast Life ProjectArticle by John Houston, Project Manager The sand dunes of the Sefton Coast in Merseyside are the largest area of open duneland in England. The dune area that can be enjoyed has survived despite enormous pressures. The important natural value of the Sefton dunes was recognised by early-twentieth century naturalists and pioneering scientific work was carried out on the dunes. In those days society did not put much value an such ‘wasteland’, apart from their suitability for golf, asparagus farming, conifer planting and housing development. The Sefton Coast Management Scheme, established in 1978, began to recreate an identity for the fragmented done area. As managers face re-discovered old skills and have learned more about the complex ecology of the dune system, so have they realised that the dunes must be viewed as a angle ecological unit. The European funded Sefton Coast Life Project will carry this idea forward by working with all dune managers on the Sefton Coast, to prepare a nature conservation strategy. With the millennium approaching, it is a good time for reflection. We mast unsure that a natural dune system which has survived thousands of years of change be allowed to survive into the neat millennium. If we are to achieve this we must all learn a bit more about the uniqueness of the Sefton dunes. The pace of change since 1945 has been dramatic. Formby population for example has grown ten-fold. Thousands of day visitors left vast tracts of Formby Point severely eroded. The new coastal read was built in the 1970s to complement the development of holiday accommodation and residential areas at Ainsdale. The three photographs on this page show how the character of the dune landscape has changed at Ainsdale. Some of the change is a natural process of ecological succession as habitats age, but rapid changes in vegetation occurred after myxomatosis in the 1 950s. The lack of rabbit grazing allowed introduced species, such as sea buckthorn, to take hold. The Sefton Coast has changed much over the centuries with long-term climatic trends determining periods of stability and instability. The present day done landscape took shape over the past two to three hundred years. The dunes are indeed a very special place; for wildlife, for enjoyment, for inspiration and for the protection of property. Dunes are the wild landscapes formed by the action of wind and water, yet, far from being deserts, they support a rich association of flora and fauna. By nature dunes are open landscapes made up of a mosaic of different habitats. There is however a danger that the natural landscapes of the Sefton Coast could be lost unless action is taken now. The Life Project aims to promote a vision of a sustainable dune-scape with people and nature locked into management which maintains the unique wildlife. Few people, for example, realise that the coastal pinewoods are alien and are only about 100 years old. In your mind, strip away the screen of pinewoods: what you see is a very different wilder landscape, of open dunes, heaths, patches of gorse, birch and willow scrub, small fields with their willow and poplar hedges, isolated farms with coppice woodlands, sheep and rabbit grazing, it is this vision that the Life project wishes to promote.
THE THREATSFragmentation of habitats is a serious threat to coastal wildlife. Bit by bit the once extensive and unbroken dune system has been divided into smaller units; by roads, railway lines, housing estates and tree planting. Once colonies of animals and plants are isolated they are more at risk. The planting of pine trees on the dunes has several effects. Most obviously the pine trees replace the diverse natural flora of the dunes. Less obvious effects are over-stabilisation, a reduction in the water table and acidification of the soil. Light recreation pressure causes little damage to dunes. The paths and bare patches can even increase overall diversity. Heavy recreation pressure requires land for car parks and surfaced paths and, if not managed, can lead to widespread erosion and loss of habitats. Over-stabilisation of dune systems can be as much of a threat as massive erosion. Many specialist dune species such as the sand lizard, certain bees and wasps, and annual grasses and flowers require bare sand for their survival. Grazing and light recreation can ensure that bare sand remains part of the system. Golf is a major land use on the Sefton Coast. The development of golf courses has undoubtedly 'saved' much of the dune system, but if these traditional links courses were allowed to develop into woodland, not only would they lose their special character but the dune wildlife will also be lost. Today's planning and environmental legislation gives the dunes considerable protection from development or damage but does not, in itself, provide guidance on management. This will be one of the aims of the Life project. The three Project partners manage most of the 'public' dune area but if you look from the air it would be apparent that this only covers about half the total dune area. To give protection to the whole dune area it will be important to develop contacts with military sites, golf courses and other private land. The natural zoning of land ownership ranging from open public access to restricted access already works very well for nature. Altcar Rifle Range for example is a genuine sanctuary for wild birds and all the golf courses have considerable conservation value.
HABITATS AND SPECIESThe Sefton Coast is renowned for its special habitats and rare species. At the European level certain habitats and species are listed as 'priority' in relation to the Habitats Directive. Three dune habitats in Sefton are particularly rare on a European scale and the Life project must concentrate on their conservation. They are · Fixed, stable or 'grey' dunes - grazing can maintain these habitats and scrub removal projects in Sefton will increase this habitat. Much of it lies in golf course areas. · Dune slacks - Dune slacks are the wind-formed seasonally damp or wet valleys lying between the dune ridges. The Sefton dune system has numerous slacks, which are botanically rich and provide natural breeding pools for the natterjack toad. · Dune heath - The dune heath in Sefton is divided between many owners. The largest area is centred around Freshfield with another area near Hillside. Dune heath represents the oldest inland part of the dune system. There are no European priority species on the Sefton Coast but natterjack toad, sand lizard, great crested newt and petalwort (a plant) are all important at the European level and will require specific conservation strategies. In 1996 the UK Government announced that the Sefton Coast had been forwarded to the European Commission as a candidate Special Area of Conservation under the EC Habitats Directive. The Government and the European Commission have until 1998 to finally confirm the designation.
ACTION FOR WILDLIFEThe Sefton Coast Life Project will work towards the development of an overall strategy for nature conservation on the coast. It is also concerned with direct action and working with landowners to achieve their conservation targets. Life project funds have been used to help Sefton Council purchase the Ravenmeols Dune area at Formby Point. The use of European funding for this project confirms the importance of the area at the international level. At Ravenmeols, for example, the Life project will assist the Sefton Coast and Countryside Management Service with emergency habitat restoration work by removing invasive scrub species to open up the landscape and by increasing the area of wet slack habitat. Golf Courses help to conserve some of the most important habitats and species on the coast. The Life project team will work in partnership with golfing associations, golf course ecologists and local clubs to help draw up, and support, conservation management strategies. Heathland is a neglected habitat on the coast. In many places the open heath is being lost by scrub invasion. The Life project will draw up heathland management plans and will link this to an incentive scheme for landowners. Grazing and mowing are two techniques that maintain open heaths. Public support for the conservation work on the dunes is very important. Through leaflets, brochures and education material the project will try to explain some at the complex ecological issues and international issues underlying its work. The Life project runs from September 1995 to March 1999, with an active project team for 36 months. The team started work on 1 February 1996. The team itself is only really the tip of an iceberg made up of all the coastal staff working for the three agencies plus offices from the Sefton's Planning Division and Leisure Services Departments.
THE PARTNERSSefton Council, English Nature and the National Trust are the principal partners in the Life Project. The Life Project team is funded by the "matched funding" of the partners, which shows that the amount of nature work already being carried out on the coast is considerable. The partners contributions include: · the work of English Nature's staff on the Ainsdale Sand Dunes and the Cabin Hill National Nature Reserves. · the habitat management work being carried out by Soften Council's Coast and Countryside Management Service, especially that on the Ainsdale and Birkdale Sandhills and Ravenmeols Local Nature Reserves. · the nature conservation work carried out by the National Trust at Formby ·the back-up and support given by Sefton's Leisure Services Department, Planning Division and the Joint Countryside Advisory Service. The Life Project is guided by a partners' Steering Group, chaired by English Nature. The Life Project will prepare a conservation management plan for the whole dune system by working closely with English Nature, land owners and other interested bodies. The conservation management plan will reinforce the ideas of a shared responsibility towards nature and will help all land managers achieve their conservation targets.
What is Life?In May 1992 the European Union started the Life fund as a "Financial Instrument for the Environment". This has become the European Unions main source of funding for environmental projects, and aims to develop and implement European environmental policy outlined in the 5th Environmental Action Programme. About 45% of the total annual Life fund is spent on projects for nature. Actions undertaken by these projects are intended to help toward implementing two pieces of European legislation. These are the Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC) and the Wild Birds Directive (Council Directive 19/4D9/EEC). These European Directives have been translated into British law by The Conservation (Natural Habitats & c.) Regulations, 1994. Life Nature Projects concentrate upon natural habitat types or species that are in need of priority action under the two Directives. To achieve this, the Life fund has recently given emphasis to projects producing management plans for Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas - SPAs). A high priority for the Life fund are 'emergency actions' required for the conservation of priority species and habitats. Forty nine new Life Projects were accepted from throughout the European Union in 1995. They cover wide range at subjects, including a Brown Bear Protection Programme in Austria and a Project for Bearded Vultures in Crete.
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