Some of the conference attendees at one of the dune large scrapes Braunton Burrows in March 2023. Look at all that bare sand...
Thanks for joining us to celebrate everything we've achieved together so far, and for participating as we look 'over the dune ridge' to the future of coastal dune conservation!
For an overview of the progress of the Dynamic Dunescapes project so far, please enjoy our Project Highlights video.
Catch up on the sessions
We filmed a lot of the conference, so if you missed any of the sessions or would like to revisit them, please use the links below to catch up.
Day 1
Conservation Grazing on Sand Dunes
Join us for a series of short presentations and a Q&A session with members of the Dynamic Dunescapes project who have been involved in conservation grazing across sand dunes, including the use of NoFence GPS collar technology.
Use & Practicalities of Notches
Join us for a series of presentations and a Q&A with sand dune conservation professionals who have used notches as a technique to restore natural dune processes and increase bare sand. This is topped by a guest presentation by Luc Geelen from Waternet.
Braunton Burrows with Andy Byfield
Join Andy Byfield for a talk about the special plants that can be found at Braunton Burrows, the importance of this dune system on the North Devon coast, and the practical works that have taken place over the last few years to restore these habitats.
Day 2
Invasive Species on Sand Dunes
Join us for a series of short presentations and a Q&A session with members of the Dynamic Dunescapes project who have been involved in invasive species removal across sand dunes, topped by a guest presentation from Reinhardt Strubbe from LIFE DUNIAS.
Join us for a series of short presentations and a Q&A session with members of the Dynamic Dunescapes project who have been involved in training site managers or volunteers or educators, creating learning resources and opportunities, and undertaking public engagement.
Sands of LIFE
Join Kath from Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru / Natural Resources Wales for a talk touring the sand dune restoration work that has taken place across a range of coastal dune systems in Wales as part of the Sands of LIFE project over the past few years.
Day 3
What's Next for Dunes? Opportunities & Challenges
Join us for a short talk and a panel discussion on the future of sand dune conservation in the UK and Europe. Speakers are Ken Pye, John Houston, Paul Rooney and Maike Isermann, and chair is Nick Thomas.
Beyond the Dune Ridge: VIP Panel
Join representatives from the Dynamic Dunescapes project partner organisations to hear their thoughts on, and their organizational commitments for, the future of sand dune management. Speakers are Dave Slater, Nick Thomas, Callum Deveney, Ben McCarthy, and Ian Dunn.
Recommended Reading from the Event
A range of posters submitted by external projects and case studies from the Dynamic Dunescapes project were on display at the event. We also spoke about our Sand Dune Manager's Handbook, our NoFence Trial Report, and an assessment of invasive species mentioned by guest speaker Reinhardt Strubbe. You can explore or download these resources and reports using the links below.
Dynamic Dunescapes Case Studies
Below, download PDFs of some of our engagement and management works case studies that were displayed at the in-person event, or click here to explore our full, detailed case study suite.
Dynamic Dunescapes Sand Dune Site Managers Handbook
Featuring detailed methodologies to keep your dune management skills and understanding up to date, and to help you find and plan the best interventions for your dune site.
NoFence Report: GPS Virtual Fencing Trial 2020
The trial of the use of virtual fencing system is a ground-breaking initiative and the National Trust in Purbeck were the first in the world to use Nofence cattle collars.
Dune management and invasive species in the UK and Ireland: current position and future challenges
John Houston has authored a new review of dune management and invasive species in the UK.
Sands of LIFE dune restoration project reports from Wales
The Sands of LIFE project, which is working to rejuvenate coastal sand dunes in Wales, has also compiled a suite of useful reports. Click the image below to read them.
Assessment of current and future invasive plants in protected dune habitats of the Atlantic coastal region
Mentioned by Reinhardt Strubbe in his guest presentation, this useful report was widely requested.
Conference External Poster Submissions
Your chance to catch up on some of the posters that were displayed by our conference attendees at the in-person event.
Small scale wind erosion for the benefit of coastal dune grasslands
Mentioned by Luc Geelen during his talk and hard copies brought by Mark van Til, the pdf version of this report is available here.
Meet the Speakers
Ben McCarthy
Ben is Head of Nature Conservation & Restoration Ecology at National Trust, and has been involved in Dynamic Dunescapes since the set up phase.
Luc Geelen
Luc is an ecologist specialising in dune rejuvenation and management. He works for Waternet in the Netherlands.
Andy Byfield
Andy is a botanist, environmentalist and gardener in South Devon, England. He is one of the co-founders of the wild plant conservation charity Plantlife International.
Reinhardt Strubbe
Project coordinator at Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos (Agency for Nature and Forests), Belgium
Sophie Olejnik
Sophie is a freelance ecological consultant in the golfing world, specialising in dune management
Kath Hewitt
Kath is the Project Manager for Sands of LIFE, at Natural Resources Wales.
Paul Rooney
Paul is Senior lecturer in Geography and Environmental Science from Liverpool Hope
University, and co-authored the Dynamic Dunescapes Sand Dune Managers Handbook.
Maike Isermann
Maike is from the Beach and Dune Network, and works for the Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park Authority in Germany.
Ken Pye
Ken is a Professor, Geomorphologist and director of Kenneth Pye Associates, with 38 years of experience relating to coastal, estuarine and shallow marine geomorphology and sedimentology.
John Houston
Now retired, John used to manage the dunes at Sefton and was the Project Manager for the Sefton Coast LIFE Project.
Rosie Hails
Rosie is the Director of Nature and Science at the National Trust, one of Dynamic Dunescapes partner organisations
Dave Slater
Dave is the Regional Director for the South West, Natural England, working to recover nature on land and sea.
Nick Thomas
Nick is the Strategic Projects Manager at Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru / Natural Resources Wales.
Ian Dunn
Ian is the Chief Executive Officer at plant conservation charity and Dynamic Dunescapes partner organisation, Plantlife
Callum Deveney
Callum is Head of Nature Reserves at Cornwall Wildlife Trust and has been on the Dynamic Dunescapes Steering Group since the start of the project.
The importance of sand dunes
Join Tony Juniper and Carolyn Cadman at Penhale Dunes in Cornwall to find out why some of the UK's largest nature and wildlife organisations are working together as part of Dynamic Dunescapes to restore coastal sand dune habitats for wildlife and communities.