Landscape-scale environmental drivers of coastal dune mobility

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Coastal dune habitats provide a diversity of habitats for a number of rare and threatened plants and animals. The movement of windblown sand within these dune systems is critical to maintaining a high level of biodiversity as it creates a mosaic of habitats for plants and animals to live. The conservation status of mobile coastal sand dunes in the UK has declined dramatically in the last 50 years, making it a habitat in urgent need of attention. As a result, managers of coastal sand dunes, including Natural England and National Resource Wales, have implemented a number of habitat restoration interventions including the removal of invasive species and mature vegetation. The most efficient strategy to improve the short-term mobility of sand has been the large-scale removal of vegetation and excavation of trough and bowl-shaped depressions, in locations where mobile dunes previously existed. This technique, however, is also the most expensive. Additionally, evidence from similar dune remobilisation efforts in the Netherlands and Canada have reported that the mobility of these dunes is not sustained after management interventions, resulting in revegetation. This lack of sustained mobility has been attributed to a lack of understanding of the natural processes that drive dune mobility. Using a combination of remote sensing and in-situ measurements, this program of study will statistically identify the landscape-scale factors that correlate with mobile dunes in the UK landscape. This information will then be discussed and disseminated with key stakeholders in the coastal dune environment. The knowledge gained from the research will be used to guide decision making with regards to the technique, location, and scale of dune rehabilitation interventions throughout the UK and around the world.