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ProjectsBackground to the Sefton Coast Life ProjectIntroductionThe total area of sand-dune habitat in England is some 12,000 ha. Of this total 2000 ha form the sand dunes of the Sefton Coast. The Sefton Coast is a wide arc of sand lying between the estuaries of the rivers Ribble and Mersey in north west England. Formerly the system was greater than 3000 ha but encroachments by residential development, industry, military sites, roads, golf courses and holiday parks has reduced the area considerably.
The Sefton CoastThe Sefton dunes are one of a series of large dune systems in the Atlantic biogeographical region. The dunes are exceptionally rich in wildlife and have representatives of both 'northern' and 'southern' species. For example the sand-lizard, (Lacerta agilis) occurs at its most northerly natural site in the U.K. The main dune system is 17 km long and up to 3 km wide. The sand is initially highly siliceous (containing silica) but on the older dunes heather (Calluna vulgaris) and grey hair grass (Corynephorus canescens) are found. The system is rich in wet slacks and has a largely unmodified watertable. The recent vegetation trend has been towards increasing grassland and scrub with a general reduction in open dunes and bare sand. The process has been accelerated by dune stabilisation works, introduced plant species and a reduction in Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) populations following the introduction of myxomatosis.The Sefton Coast is also a popular regional recreation centre with 10,000 people visiting the dunes on a good summer's day. A lack of control over these pressures has, in the past, led to problems of erosion and sandblow which in turn reduced the amenity value of the area. From the late 19th Century there was a gradual break up of large estates as golf courses were developed, military training areas established and land sold for housing development. Most of the remaining land has by now been acquired by conservation bodies to be managed for nature and public enjoyment. However, only perhaps 1000 ha of the original dune system remains in anything near to a natural state.
The Sefton Coast Management SchemeIn 1978 the Sefton Coast Management Scheme was established to tackle severe environmental degradation at Formby Point and to start the process of bringing land managers together to co-ordinate their actions and to draw up policies for the whole area. The Management Scheme has been successful in tackling problems on the ground, in setting up nature reserves, improving access, supporting the appointment of site staff and for supporting education, interpretation and research.The effective co-operation, however, had mainly involved the three principle land managers ; Sefton Council (local government), English Nature (the government nature agency for England) and the National Trust (a charity which is the UK's largest land-holding non-governmental organisation) who between them manage most of the 'nature reserves'. These areas also form the core of the Sefton Coast candidate Special Area of Conservation under the EC Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC). What was missing, however, was the transfer of this management partnership to the whole system, to the two military training areas, the seven golf courses, coastal parkland and all areas of private heathland and dune grassland. The very real dangers posed by habitat fragmentation and the concept of 'core' and 'buffer' zones formed the basis of a bid to the European Commission for additional resources through the Life-Nature fund. The proposal for 'A conservation strategy for the Sand Dunes of Sefton Coast, north-west England', received approval from the EC Habitats Committee in July 1995. The project had a total budget of over 1m ECU and ran from September 1995 to June 1999. The EC grant was 50% of the total cost, the remainder being matched funding from the partners.
Continuing threatsIn many ways the dune system remained threatened. Long-term threats include a general lack of grazing to manage vegetation, coast erosion and the implications of climatic change. Only in 1994 was a long-standing proposal for the development of a golf course on the dunes defeated at a public planning inquiry. EC Life funds were later used to assist Sefton Council purchase the land when it was put up for sale.Fragmentation is a serious threat. Bit by bit the once extensive and unbroken dune system has been divided into ever smaller units; by roads, railways, housing estates and tree planting. Once colonies of animals and plants are isolated they are more at risk. Ironically the corridors provided by the railway may be useful in helping to re-establish species. In 2000 part of the railway corridor was indeed added to an enlarged Sefton Coast SSSI. Conifer planting, although widely practised in Europe, is a major threat to dune habitats. On the Sefton Coast the planting programme began in the late nineteenth century. As well as replacing the natural dune habitats, the plantations encourage scrub growth and reduce sand mobility, draw down the water table and acidify the soil. Some pine woodland ,however, is desirable on the Sefton Coast, for landscape, amenity and shelter and to support a nationally important population of the Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris). Light recreation pressure, like grazing, can be beneficial in dune areas by maintaining essential openness but the problems of overuse are well known. The Quality of Coastal Towns Interreg IIC project has addressed this issue by carrying out detailed visitor surveys and behavioural surveys in 2000.
Action for dunesThe EC Life Programme supports action for nature conservation. The Sefton dune project was aimed to implement the Habitats Directive and, especially, to target the priority habitats of fixed (grey) dunes, calcareous wet slacks and dune heath. Important species include the bryophyte Petalwort Petallophylum ralfsii, Great Crested Newt Triturus cristatus, Natterjack Toad Bufo calamita and Sand Lizard Lacerta agilis. Strategies for each of these species form part of the overall conservation strategy for the Special Area of Conservation prepared by the Life project. To counter the long-term consequences of fragmentation the amalgamation of reserves was considered by the project partners. In 2000, English Nature gave notification of the designation of the Sefton Coast SSSI which amalgamates and enlarges five former SSSIs.
Land PurchaseLife funds are targeted towards the purchase of land of high nature conservation value at risk from deterioration. Duneland at Ravenmeols was purchased at the start of the project and was followed by habitat restoration work by Sefton Council's Coast and Countryside Service.Habitat RestorationPriority habitats at risk were restored, wherever possible, by emergency action. Fixed dunes, slacks and heath are all at risk from both conifer plantations and scrub development in the absence of grazing or appropriate traditional management practice. Invasive scrub species include willows (Salix spp.), poplars (Populus spp.), birches (Betula spp.), Sea Buckthorn, (Hippophae rhamnoides) and rank grassland species.Although not part of the Life project English Nature had embarked on a major habitat restoration project on Ainsdale Sand Dunes National Nature Reserve. The phased project aims to remove about 40ha of scrub and pine plantation to restore open dune habitats. By 1996 27ha had been cleared and sheep grazing introduced for sustainable management. A further 10ha were removed in 1995/96. On other coastal sites scrub has been cut back to restore dune habitats.
Golf and WildlifeSeven golf courses have been developed on the Sefton Coast. The Life project worked with all golf course managers, Chairs of Greens and greenstaff to draw up nature conservation management plans. Open dune and heath landscapes are part of the essential character of 'links' courses. Royal Birkdale Golf Club, which hosted the 1998 UK Open Golf Championship embarked on a large scale scrub removal project to restore the golf landscape and at the same time to benefit nature. The alliance between golf and nature on the Sefton Coast has been encouraged through the involvement of, for example, the European Golf Association Ecology Unit and the Sports Turf Research Institute and through training and practical assistance.
HeathlandDune heath is a rare habitat in the UK and in Europe. In Sefton it is fragmented and only one small area is in conservation ownership. The Life project carried out a detailed survey of the resource and actions to safeguarded this threatened habitat as part of English Nature's lowland heathland management programme.
Public supportThere is generally a lack of public understanding of the importance of dune conservation work. This is partly a cultural issue whereby the dunes are seen as 'wasteland' and the pinewoods an 'improvement'. There is often opposition to scrub control projects, to grazing projects and to controlled access. Similar issues occur on most European dune sites and the collective efforts and experience of dune managers can help to stress the importance of such work. The Sefton Coast Life Project placed great emphasis on the dissemination of information. Individuals, community groups and conservation volunteers are involved in the preparation of management plans and practical work.
DisseminationThe Life Project aimed to achieve favourable conservation status for the priority habitats of the Sefton dunes. It also aimed to highlight the threats to dune systems throughout the Atlantic biogeographical region and to produce a series of best practice guides.A workshop on 'Dune Habitat Management for Species Recovery' co-organised with Eurosite took place from 14-18 October 1997. The event focused on Species Recovery Strategies in the UK and other countries. Proceedings of the workshop were produced and disseminated by Eurosite. Between 22 and 26 September 1998 a European Dune Symposium was held to celebrate the experiences and lessons learned in dune management over the last 20 years. Several recent initiatives have brought together much of the scientific knowledge relating to the dune systems of north-west Europe. The symposium focused on management and the proceedings were published by Liverpool University Press in 2000. The symposium was supported by the European Union for Coastal Conservation. The project produced a regular newsletter Lifelines, a newsletter for golf courses Linkslines, published a series of articles in the Sefton Coast magazine Coastlines, and articles in UK and European nature and coastal journals. The project was given a special award in October 1999 by the European Commission for its overall success in dissemination to a wide audience.
The final output was the publication in 1999 of the book The Sands of Time: an introduction to the sand dunes of the Sefton Coast by Phillip H Smith, one of the project advisors.
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