National funding has been awarded to the Sand Dune and Shingle Network, for production of a publication promoting conservation of one of Europe’s most threatened habitats.
Working with Visiting Professor Dr Laurence Jones from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, the Network will produce a Sand Dune Site Managers’ Handbook.
The publication aims to ensure that scientifically sound conservation management, along with people engagement techniques, are cascaded across the project partners and to other sand dune land managers.
Project partners include Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, Plantlife, The National Trust, and The Wildlife Trusts for Cumbria, Lincolnshire and Cornwall.
In addition to the handbook, a Sand Dune Site Manager Learning Programme will be built to provide a key learning and reference tool for the project.
Paul Rooney, Director of the Sand Dune and Shingle Network and Assistant Head of the Department of Geography and Environmental Science, said: “Coastal sand dunes are one of the most threatened habitats in Europe, and in need of urgent conservation management.
“Conservation work must be grounded on robust scientific evidence and good practice from the field. The opportunity to produce this publication and a suite of learning resources, furthers the aim of the Sand Dune and Shingle Network to link science and management, and to conserve these wonderful places as dynamic landscapes.”
Funding for the project has been awarded by EU LIFE and the Heritage Lottery Fund, as part of the Dynamic Dunescapes project, which aims to restore sand dunes across 34 sites in England and Wales.