Overgrown sand dunes to get a new lease of life
SOME AREAS OF VEGETATION TO BE REMOVED TO HELP PLANTS FLOURISH
SAND dunes in Cleethorpes are to be given a new lease of life next month through cutting back unwanted plants.
North East Lincolnshire Council will be working alongside Natural England to remove some areas of vegetation, including patches of dense sea buckthorn, as part of a project called Dynamic Dunescapes.
Those behind the scheme say large areas of Cleethorpes’ dune grassland are becoming overgrown, which reduces the size and types of habitat available for rare sand dune wildlife.
Work will take place just south of the leisure centre, opposite the boating lake, and is scheduled to take three weeks to complete. People are being asked to “keep an appropriate distance” from the workers on site and to keep dogs on short leads.
Coppicing - the practice of cutting trees back to a stump to encourage rejuvenation and new shoot growth - has been taking place on the dunes along with removal work every five years.
Areas of woody growth are chosen to remain to help coastal birds, but by removing some scrub the ground and grassland habitats beneath are exposed to light again meaning plants which are food for wildlife can flourish.
Guy Mason, Dynamic Dunescapes lead advisor at Natural England, said: “Rotational coppicing involves us removing scrub at different places over many years. By helping to keep the habitat diverse, we safeguard a future for the wildlife that depends on it.
“The last round of scrub removal took place in 2014. Since then we have seen a range of orchids start to grow in the coppiced area, including Southern Marsh, Common spotted, Bee, and Pyramidal orchids.
“This is great news for biodiversity and especially for our local pollinators.”
Rachel Graham, ecology manager at North East Lincolnshire Council, says: “The sand dunes are an integral part of the Humber Estuary SSSI and our Local Nature Reserve, and we’re so lucky to be able to enjoy the main pleasure beach and, with one step, enter into this gem of a habitat, one of the best coastal wildflower areas on the coast, and that’s because of the previous management of buckthorn, one of the Humber Estuary SAC features.”
Tish Cookson, Dynamic Dunescapes engagement officer at Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust which is also involved in planning the work, said: “It’s fantastic to see this important habitat managed in a way that has the best outcome for biodiversity, using techniques that are grounded in science, informed by evidence, and specific to the wildlife found here.”
The project is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the EU LIFE programme.