Jncc coastal Directories Project Region 11 The Western Approaches

Davidson, N.C., Laffoley, D.d’A., Doody, J.P., Way, L.S., Gordon, J.,
Key, R., Drake, C.M., Pienkowski, M.W., Mitchell, R.M., & Duff,
K.L.  1991.  Nature conservation and estuaries in Great Britain.
Peterborough, Nature Conservancy Council.
Mitchley, J.  1989.  A sea-cliff bibliography.  Peterborough, Nature
Conservancy Council.  (Research & survey in nature
conservation, No. 18.)
Steers, J.A.  1964.  The coastline of England and Wales.  Cambridge,
Cambridge University Press.
C.  Contact names and addresses
Type of information
Contact address and telephone no.
Flora, fauna, habitat
*Coastal Ecologist, Maritime Team,
information, location of site
English Nature, Peterborough,
reports, site management -
tel: [phone]
England
Flora, fauna, habitat
*Coastal Ecologist, CCW HQ,
information, location of site
Bangor, tel: [phone]
reports, site management -
Wales
National and international
*Coastal Conservation Branch,
policy and advice on cliff
JNCC, Peterborough,
conservation
tel: [phone]
Cliffs in Cornwall
*Cornwall Wildlife Trust, Truro,
tel: [phone]
Cliffs in Devon
*Conservation Data Manager,
Devon Wildlife Trust, Exeter,
tel: [phone]
National Landslide Databank Rendel Geotechnics, Norfolk
House, Smallbrook Queensway,
Birmingham  B5 4LJ,
tel: [phone]
Invertebrate fauna of cliffs
*Invertebrate Site Register, Species
Conservation Branch, JNCC,
Peterborough, tel: [phone]
*Starred contact addresses are given in full in the Appendix.
Region 11  Chapter 3  Terrestrial coastal habitats
44
At more than 600 hectares, Kenfig Dunes National Nature Reserve is the largest sand dune system in a region notable for its many extensive
dune sites. Although backed by heavy industry, the dunes themselves are remarkably unaltered by human use; in the slacks – wet
depressions, as pictured here – they have the largest areas in Wales of two rare plant communities.  Photo: Pat Doody, JNCC.

---

3.2.1  Introduction
The region’s coast contains a large number of sand dune
systems associated with bays, estuaries and hard cliffs.  The
English dunes in this region represent nearly one quarter of
the total English dune area and 6% of the British resource
(
Table 3.2.1
).  The region is therefore nationally important.
There are no vegetated sand dunes in Gloucestershire,
Gwent or South Glamorgan.
3.2  Sand dunes
45
3.2  Sand dunes
Dr T.C.D. Dargie
Table 3.2.1 
Region 11 vegetated dune resource in context
Total area
% of total
(ha)
a
in Region 11
Cornwall
1,258
-
Devon
713
-
Somerset
160
-
Avon
6
-
Mid-Glamorgan
990
-
Region 11
3,229
England
9,282
24
Wales
8,483
12
West Coast
31,308
10
GB
50,200
6
Sources: Dargie (1993), Dargie (1995), DAFF (1995), Radley (1994),
JNCC Coastal Resources Database.  Key: 
a
all figures have been
rounded to the nearest whole hectare.  Note: survey data for
Scotland are incomplete and therefore totals for the West Coast and
for Great Britain are provisional estimates.
46
45
44
43
42
41
40
39
37
38
36
35
31–34
30
29
27
28
4
3
2
1
5–26
Region 10
Region 12
5°W
Map 3.2.1  
Sand dune sites.  Numbers refer to 
Table 3.2.3.
Source:
JNCC Coastal Database.
Table 3.2.2  
Areas (ha
a
) of dune vegetation types
Strand
Mobile
Acidic
Neutral
Dune
Dune
Other
Dune
Transitions Transitions Other
and
and
fixed
and
heath
slack
dune
woodland
to
to
land
embryo
semi-
dune
calcareous
and
wetland
and
saltmarsh
maritime
cover
dune
fixed
grassland
fixed dune
bracken
scrub
cliff
dune
grassland
Cornwall
10
15
2
831
26
9
<1
194
0
29
142
Devon
3
404
1
92
0
128
0
18
0
0
67
Somerset
3
13
1
34
0
<1
15
58
<1
0
36
Avon
1
1
<1
<1
0
0
0
3
<1
0
<1
Mid Glam.
4
263
11
387
1
139
3
103
3
6
70
Region 11
21
696
15
1,343
27
277
18
375
3
35
315
England
179
2,484
671
2,710
197
487
150
1,189
141
30
1,044
Wales
136
1,961
162
2,034
136
614
221
2,364
59
21
775
Great Britain
340
8,504
4,953
15,228
2,615
2,175
4,114
8,965
836
64
2,406
Sources:  Radley (1994), Dargie (1995), JNCC Coastal Resources Database, Dargie (1993).  Key: 
a
all figures have been rounded to the nearest
whole hectare.  Note: survey data for Scotland are incomplete and therefore totals for Great Britain are provisional estimates.
The region has a high proportion of the GB resource of
certain dune vegetation types, in particular mobile and
semi-fixed dunes, neutral/calcareous fixed dune grassland
and dune slack (
Table 3.2.2
).  The large extent and diverse
range of habitats (some very rare) make the sand dunes of
the region of great interest.
3.2.2  Important locations and species
The region has a total of 46 dune sites (
Table 3.2.3
and 
Map
3.2.1
) containing 3,229 ha of vegetated sand and other land
cover.  Their importance is reflected in the range of nature
conservation designations applied to them: 23 are Sites of
Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), two are National Nature
Reserves, one falls within a Biosphere Reserve and one is a
county wildlife trust reserve; dunes also occur in the region
in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a Heritage Coast
and property owned by the National Trust (
Table 3.2.3
).
The largest dunes are hindshore types (e.g. Gwithian to
Mexico Towans, Penhale Sands, Braunton Burrows, Merthyr
Mawr, Kenfig Dunes), developed above beaches with a
good sand supply and an onshore prevailing wind, which
drives sand inland as a series of dune ridges or mobile
parabolic dunes.  These are found in the most exposed
sectors of the Bristol Channel coast.  Ness/foreland dunes
develop on shores with sand supply from two directions
and gradually extend seawards; the only example in the
region is a small dune system in the Isles of Scilly (Bar Point,
St. Mary’s).  Spit dunes (e.g. Northam Burrows, The Neck of

---