Sefton Coast
Stretching for around 20km between Liverpool and Southport, the Sefton Coast sand dune system is the largest in England. The environment here supports lots of different dune-specialised species, so it’s recognised as one of the most important dune habitats in North-west Europe and is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. Our work on the Sefton Coast covers over 4,500 hectares of sand dunes, beach and tidal mud flats, and some areas of heath and woodland. The very long and wide beach here is a beautiful place to enjoy the coast and take a long walk by the sea, making it popular with visitors from far and wide year-round.
A whole range of dune types can be found here, from shifting dunes to dune grassland and dunes with creeping willow, and wet dune slacks in between many of the ridges. Sefton also has one of the rarest wildlife habitats in the UK: dune heath. It takes about 300 years for lime from seashells in the dune sand to be washed out by rain so the sand becomes acidic enough for the dune heath heather to grow. Thick vegetation and some trees which dominate the rare dune heather will also be removed, to restore this rare and open habitat, home to specialised heath wildlife.
Large populations of sand lizard and northern dune tiger beetle live in the sands of frontal dunes, but as the dunes have become more stabilised by plant growth, the bare sand habitats they need are becoming smaller and disconnected. By stripping some turf and mowing dense or overgrown vegetation we have created new areas of bare sand at Ainsdale Sand Dunes NNR and at National Trust Formby in which these creatures can thrive. This will also encourage more sand to move through the dune system, keeping it dynamic. Sefton is also home to 40% of the UK’s population of the protected natterjack toad, and to help create more ideal habitat for them, we have improved the dune slack habitats in which they live by removing overgrown vegetation.
Our work on the protected Sefton Coast has covered the vast sand dune system, including at Ainsdale Sand Dunes NNR (led by Natural England) and Formby (led by National Trust).
Invasive species (plants which are not usually found in the area) are a problem in Sefton. Volunteer surveys along the Sefton Coast have shown that Rosa rugosa has spread across huge areas of the dunes. Its thick bushes might produce pretty pink flowers, but as it’s an invasive species and threatens the habitats of our native dune wildlife, some of our work here has been focussed on removing up to 6 hectares of it.
Rabbits can be an important part of a healthy sand dune system; by grazing they keep vegetation short, which benefits wildflowers and many species of insect, and by burrowing they keep sand around the mouth of their dens bare, allowing it to be moved through the dunes by the wind. Thanks to a disease called myxomatosis in the 1950s, rabbit populations are much lower than they were. We are creating better conditions for the existing small rabbit populations to grow, so that they can help keep the plant growth on the dunes low.
You can find out more about our work at National Trust Formby here.
Achievements at a glance
The teams across Sefton 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.
23.61ha of sand dune rejuvenation
0.53ha of wetland rejuvenation
86 events held
3494 people influenced
Wildlife you might see on the Sefton Coast
There is an exciting range of rare plants and animals living in the Sefton dunes. On sunny days, you can often see two of the area’s best-known species enjoying the bare sand: sand lizards can often be spotted sunbathing and the beautifully striped, rare northern dune tiger beetle hunts on sand.
Up to 40% of the UK’s natterjack toad population can be found here, as the extensive dune slacks and ponds are the perfect place for them to hide and mate. Great crested newts can also be found.
In terms of birdlife, Sefton is an important place for many species of birds. Skylark, meadow pipit and wheatear are great to watch for in the dunes. These are ground-dwelling or ground-nesting species, though, so pay attention to areas which might be restricted for their protection.
The nationally scarce tiny petalwort can also be found here - though you'll have to look very closely for it, it's so small that it's easy to miss! Some of the other beautiful flowers you can look out for include the early marsh-orchid, dune helleborine, grass-of-parnassus and round-leaved wintergreen.
How you've been involved at Sefton
We have planned and hosted a whole range of events, guided walks, nature talks, citizen science projects, volunteering, training and work experience opportunities for the whole community to get involved in. Some of these have included visiting dementia care homes with an interactive reminiscence box, signing up dog rangers through our Paws for Thought campaign and even Tai Chi in the dunes!
We have offered opportunities for local schools to explore the dunes and learn about the importance of sand dune habitats and species and have run several educator training workshops to encourage teachers and their classes to get out and enjoy their dunes!
The teams at Natural England and the National Trust will continue to host lots of events to help you connect with your local sand dunes.
Watch videos from our work on the Sefton Coast
Case Studies
Read more about our case studies from the Sefton Coast
Blogs
Read more about our work on the Sefton Coast
