Carmarthenshire
The huge sand dune systems of Carmarthenshire stretch around Carmarthen Bay, from Gower to Tenby. The Carmarthenshire Bay Dunes SAC (Special Area of Conservation) is home to three major dune systems; Pembrey Burrows, Whiteford Burrows and Laugharne & Pendine Burrows.
Pembrey
Pembrey is a beautiful village overlooking the Carmarthen Bay, and is home to a stretch of coast with some impressive dunes. Here you’ll find a great example of a barrier dune system which is less than 500 years old. In the last 100 years, these dunes and the delicate flora that live on them have become threatened by increasing levels of vegetation which have stabilised the sand.
Dynamic Dunescapes restoration work in Pembrey was led by NRW, alongside Carmarthenshire County Council. Work was focused on the Pembrey Coast sand dunes from the Pembrey Country park to the MOD Pembrey Sands Air Weapons Range. Dynamic Dunescapes was not the only project working to restore Pembrey’s important sand dunes. Alongside Carmarthenshire County Council, the NRW led EU LIFE-funded Sands of LIFE project has also been undertaking sand dune management to improve conditions for wildlife in recent years. The different organisations work closely to build on and support each other’s work at Pembrey Burrows and Pembrey Coast.
What work has taken place?
Management of invasive plant species
Thick tall grasses, conifers and the invasive species sea buckthorn have spread across large areas of the dunes. This changes the habitat and makes it harder for sand dune-adapted plant and insect species to survive, and short grassland that is good for wildflowers becomes tall and less diverse. As thick plants start to grow in the dune slacks, the damp areas and seasonal pools are no-longer available for the plants and amphibians that normally live there. Rare species such as the fen orchid and the tiny petalwort liverwort have already been lost from the landscape.
Although native on the east coast of England, Sea buckthorn is considered non-native to Wales and is the commonest ‘problem’ species. Sea buckthorn poses a significant threat to dune grassland due to its sand binding and nitrogen fixing habit, and its ability to take over large areas producing impenetrable, thorny thickets. Using specialist machinery, the project has removed 22 hectares of sea buckthorn to give dune grassland habitats a chance to recover.
Creating habitat for grazers
Rabbits can be an important part of a healthy sand dune system. Through grazing, rabbits keep vegetation short benefitting wildflowers and many species of insect. The burrowing activities of rabbits help to keep sand around the mouth of their burrows or warrens bare, allowing it to be moved through the dunes by the wind. Rabbit populations at Pembrey have decreased in number in the last 50 years and as such the removal of sea buckthorn is helping to create better conditions for the remaining small rabbit populations. In addition to creating habitat for rabbits, new fencing has been installed to support grazing animals on site which help maintain and improve plant biodiversity.
Working alongside sites of archaeological history
Pembrey has an interesting history. There’s a large amount of WW1 and WW2 archaeology buried in the dunes, including that of an ammunitions factory. All conservation work undertaken has been done in close consultation with military archaeology experts to understand and explore the site's rich heritage and discover its historical treasures. Survey work completed includes the studying of more than 20 hectares of dunes to identify possible archaeological features, buried beneath the sand.
Dynamic Dunescapes has rejuvenated 47 hectares of sand dunes at Pembrey Burrows Local Nature Reserve (LNR). Our work in Pembrey was led by Natural Resources Wales, working with Carmarthenshire County Council and Plantlife.
This area is a particularly important home for plants; over 250 species of flowering plants, nearly 20% of all plant species found in Wales, can be found here.
Achievements at a glance
The teams across Wales have achieved a lot over the course of the project! You can find out more about these and the project's wider achievements in our Summary Report.
28.22ha of sand dune rejuvenation
3.92ha of wetland rejuvenation
156 events held
6274 people engaged
Wildlife you might see in Carmarthenshire
For botanists, the sand dunes of Carmarthenshire are an exciting place to explore. The beautiful sea stock with grey hairy leaves and purple flowers likes to put down roots in shifting sands.
Some of the orchids you might spot are the bee orchid and marsh helleborine - a beautiful orchid with pink and white flowers which can be found in the damp dune slacks.
On a sunny, quiet day, you might spot rabbits hopping across the grassland on the dunes, or grazing where vegetation is low.
Collaborating with local communities
While undertaking restoration work at Pembrey, Dynamic Dunescapes has worked in partnership with local ecologists, community groups, the Carmarthenshire County Council and charities to support people learning about the dunes and exploring them in their own time.
You can find out more about the restoration activities by Dynamic Dunescapes, NRW, Sands of LIFE and Carmarthenshire County Council in this short film. The film was created by early career conservationist Grace Hunt who was a recipient of a Dynamic Dunescapes young persons development bursary. Volunteers at the site play an important role in helping to preserve the area through litter picks and helping ecologists and land managers to understand what wildlife calls Pembrey home through undertaking Citizen Science surveys.
Although the Dynamic Dunescapes activities have come to an end, many local organisations continue to work in the area and have a number of events and activities for anyone to get involved in.
Case Studies
Explore some of our case studies from Wales
Blogs
Explore some of our blogs relating to Pembrey and Carmarthenshire
