This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Calliopejen~enwiki (talk | contribs) at 19:16, 9 March 2007. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 19:16, 9 March 2007 by Calliopejen~enwiki (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) | Template:Wikify is deprecated. Please use a more specific cleanup template as listed in the documentation. |
Sand dune stabilization is a coastal management technique for preventing erosion. Vegetation encourages dune growth by trapping and stabilising blown sand. Transplanting marram grass to the face of eroded dunes will enhance the natural development of yellow dunes above the limit of direct wave attack. Sand couchgrass or lyme grass can be transplanted to encourage the growth of new foredunes along the toe of existing dunes, as these species are tolerant to occasional inundation by seawater. Planting grasses from seed can be undertaken but will not normally be successful in the very active foredune environment. These natural dune grasses act to reduce wind speeds across the surface, thereby trapping and holding sand. They grow both vertically and horizontally as the sand accumulates.
Sand dunes trap sand and beach material washed and blown up, the rate of erosion is slowed and an effective flood barrier is created. Footpaths will also have to be introduced to stop trampling. Sand dunes stabilisation is economical, environmentally friendly, does not disrupt the coastline further on, creates natural habitats for animals and plants and is not regarded as unattractive. However, for successful dunes to be placed it must be thoroughly researched before hand and will take a long time to establish. These are present at Hengistbury Head.