The Sand Dune and Shingle Network based in the Department of Geography and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Liverpool Hope University, organised a two day international workshop for Natural Resources Wales, the largest Welsh Government Sponsored Body employing 1,900 staff across Wales with a budget of £180 million.
The Sand Dune and Shingle Network based in the Department of Geography and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Liverpool Hope University, organised a two day international workshop for Natural Resources Wales, the largest Welsh Government Sponsored Body employing 1,900 staff across Wales with a budget of £180 million.
The event on the 28th and 29th June marked the 60th anniversary of Newborough Warren National Nature Reserve (NNR), the first coastal NNR in Wales. Newborough Warren is one of the finest coastal sand dune systems in Britain, with huge expanses of mobile and fixed dunes. In addition to internationally important sand dunes, the reserve boasts important geological features – the pre-Cambrian rocks (some of the oldest in the country). The site is subject to innovative and large scale science-based dune rejuvenation works to increase the extent of open sand habitats and connect these areas with the beach.
The workshop attracted delegates and speakers from across the UK, Europe and as far afield as Israel. The programme included field visits to the site that critically appraised the management works, lectures from national and international perspectives on the science and practice of dune rejuvenation, and a workshop session that mapped out future challenges and better linkages between science and management for dune conservation.
Paul Rooney, Director of the Sand Dune and Shingle Network, said “The event celebrated 60 years of coastal dune conservation in Wales at this spectacular site, Newborough Warren NNR. Coastal dunes are one of the most threatened habitats in Europe according to recent reports required by the EU Habitats Directive. They have suffered significant decline in both their extent and quality. The work at Newborough Warren NNR to rejuvenate dune areas and recover the fossilised dune landscape is highly significant for Wales, the UK and Europe. This event has helped to better identify the research and management priorities not only for this special site, but for also for coastal dunes internationally”.
Further information is available at:
You can view the photos from the event on our International Coastal Dune album on Flickr.