A guide to managing coastal erosion in beach/dune systems

• Index
• Tables
• Figures
• Appendices

Contents

• Preface
• Introduction
• Dunes, beaches and the sea
• Long-term evolution of dunes
  • Sources of sand for dunes
  • Losses of sand from dunes
  • Consequences for dune evolution
• Short-term dune evolution processes
  • Accretion of dunes
  • Dune erosion
• Attributes of coastal dunes
• Classification of Scottish dunes
• The legal framework
• Coast Protection Legislation in Scotland
  • Introduction
  • Summary of Legislation
• Nature Conservation Issues and Legislation
• Strategic approach to dune management
• Processes
• Risks
• Funding
• Consultation
• Coastal Cells and Shoreline Management Plans
• Management options
• Possible approaches
• Engineering considerations
  • Materials
  • Transport and placement
  • Costs
  • Environmental impacts
  • Work windows
  • Maintenance
• Recommended approaches
• References and Bibliography
• Scottish regional information
• Further guidance for dune management
• Coastal processes and shoreline management
• Glossary
• Abbreviations
• Appendix 1 Erosion management options
• Adaptive management
• Dune grass planting
• Dune thatching
• Dune fencing
• Beach recycling and reprofiling
• Sandbag structures
• Beach nourishment
• Gabion revetments
• Artificial headlands
• Artificial reefs
• Nearshore breakwater
• Groynes
• Beach drainage
• Rock revetments
• Timber revetments
• Impermeable revetments and seawalls
• Novel coast protection methods
• Appendix 2 Monitoring erosion and change in dune systems by simple and specialist techniques
  • Introduction
  • Aims and objectives for monitoring
  • Priorities for measurement
  • Frequency, timing and location of measurements
  • Monitoring techniques – low cost approaches
  • Monitoring techniques – aerial photography
  • Measurements of the physical environment
  • Data Storage and Analysis
  • Data Sheets for Download
• Credits

Summary 2: DUNE GRASS PLANTING

Appropriate locations	Above normal limit of wave run-up at any location with available blown sand. Unlikely to succeed where erosion is severe.
Costs	Low, but labour intensive with on-going management (£200 - £2000/100m length for each visit).
Effectiveness	Enhancement to natural dune recovery. Reservoir of sand held in planted foredunes will provide a buffer to resist storm erosion.
Benefits	Compliments natural system. Can be used to improve other management options. Potentially self sustaining.
Problems	Normally requires dune fencing or thatching to achieve success. May be completely lost to storm erosion.

General description

Vegetation encourages dune growth by trapping and stabilising blown sand. Transplanting marram grass (Ammophila arenaria) to the face of eroded dunes will enhance the natural development of yellow dunes above the limit of direct wave attack. Sand couchgrass (Elymus farctus) or lyme grass (Leymus arenarius) 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. Marram grass is particularly effective as it positively thrives on growing dunes, and is perhaps the easiest to transplant.

Function

Transplanting vegetation will not prevent erosion, but it will accelerate natural recovery after storm damage creating a reservoir of sand within the foredunes that will make the dunes better able to withstand the next period of erosion. Additional works are often necessary to increase the potential for success. Thatching (Summary 3), fencing (Summary 4) and beach recycling (Summary 5) will assist in the accretion of sand, will provide minor protection from waves and will reduce damage due to trampling. Once grasses are well established they may well become self-sustaining, although any storm erosion damage will need to be rapidly made good.

Transplanting can also be used to enhance the appearance and effectiveness of built erosion defences. Rock, timber or gabion structures can provide a fixed defence line but are incongruous along a natural dune coast: partial burial of these structures using recycled sand, followed by transplanting, will create a more natural dune appearance if conditions are favourable. However transplanting to inappropriate locations can be a waste of resources, as illustrated in the photograph below.

Methods

The subject of dune vegetation transplanting is covered in detail within various publications, including the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers “Sand Dunes Handbook”. It is common practice in the management of wind erosion and recreational pressures and has been undertaken at many sites. Essentially, vigorous plants are pulled or dug up from a suitable borrow area, and are replanted on an eroded face, where they will be immediately effective in trapping blown sand. Where stock, such as sheep or cattle, can gain access to the replanted site these may cause considerable damage through grazing and trampling of the transplanted grasses. Growth and stabilisation will often only be realised once these have been excluded, for instance through fence construction. Additional works such as re-profiling of steep or unstable faces, fencing or thatching should be done in advance to avoid damaging the transplants. These complimentary approaches are discussed in Summaries 3 to 5. Without these works, transplanting is unlikely to be successful unless natural recovery is well underway. The basic principles of transplanting are illustrated above.

Marram grass is tolerant of salt spray but not immersion, and should be planted above the expected run-up limit of storm waves. Lyme grass can tolerate occasional inundation and can be transplanted down to the beach dune interface. In practice there is little point in trying to extend the vegetation cover too far as wave damage may quickly remove the lowest transplants before they have a chance to take root.

Transplanting should not be seen as a one-off operation. Regular maintenance is required to replace unhealthy plants, apply fertilisers, prevent trampling and extend cover to adjacent areas. Work can be undertaken at any time of year, but early spring is generally considered to be the optimum to avoid frosts, storm erosion, drought or trampling. Even assuming no storm erosion, it is likely that it will take two or three years before transplants begin to thrive and spread.

For small schemes transplants may be taken locally, ensuring that the borrow area is not denuded to the extent that blow outs may form. Larger schemes require a commercial supply or a managed nursery area within the dune system. Forward planning is required to ensure that sufficient seedlings and/or mature plants are available for transplanting. Sowing dune grass seeds is not a practical solution to marine erosion, but can be applied successfully to more stable backshore dunes, if considered necessary.

Costs for transplanting are dependent on labour, sources of transplants, extent of works, the need for ongoing management and the cost of ancillary works to help stabilise the dune face. Small schemes implemented by volunteer labour using local transplants may cost almost nothing, while extensive schemes using commercial nursery transplants and contracted labour may cost up to £20,000/km, plus ongoing management costs. Cost assessment should allow for the possibility that the transplant scheme may be substantially damaged by the first storm event following the works.

Impacts

Transplanting and management of appropriate dune grasses to the dune face will have no damaging impact on the natural environment of the receiving area, but can be harmful to the borrow area. Over harvesting of transplants from any area can give rise to increased local erosion. This may be most significant for sand couch grass, as the borrow area will necessarily be a foredune susceptible to wave over-washing and wind erosion.

Construction of fences or thatching will disrupt public use of the beach, so provision must be made for controlled access.

Best practice and environmental opportunities

New vegetation cover to an eroding dune face will encourage recovery without damaging the ecological and geomorphological interests or the aesthetic appeal of the shoreline. The approach is potentially self-sustaining if the grasses become well established.

Transplanting and associated dune fencing can improve the appearance and environmental acceptability of built defences that might otherwise detract from the dune landscape.

All dune management schemes should observe the following guidelines to maximise the probability of success and minimise impacts on the natural and human environment:

• Each dune erosion site must be considered independently, with management approaches tailored to the specific site.
• A policy of “Adaptive management” (Summary 1) should be considered for all sites before other options are assessed.
• Work should not be undertaken unless the beach-dune system and nearshore coastal processes have been monitored over several years and a reasonable understanding of the physical and natural environment has been established. Hasty responses to erosion may prove to be either unnecessary or damaging.
• No work of a permanent nature should be undertaken unless important immovable or irreplaceable backshore assets are at risk.
• Local interest groups, such as landowners, nature trusts, fishing associations and recreational users, should be consulted early to ensure that a broad view of the shoreline and nearshore zone is considered prior to implementing any particular management approach.
• Consideration must always be given to both long term “average” and short term extreme weather and sea conditions to determine the life expectancy of any operations.
• Consideration must be given to the consequences of failure, such as construction debris spread along the beach, public safety hazards, loss of amenity access, deterioration of the landscape, etc.
• Work should be planned and scheduled to limit damage to fragile ecosystems and to recreation. Consideration should be given to vegetation, bird nesting and migration, intertidal invertebrates, fisheries, public access, noise levels and public safety.
• All site staff must be made aware of the need for careful working practises to avoid environmental damage, and to avoid hazards associated with steep and unstable dune faces.
• Temporary or permanent management access routes to the dune face for materials, equipment and labour must be planned and constructed to minimise trampling damage to the dunes and to limit the formation of blowouts. Boardwalks or other temporary surfaces should be laid and should follow the natural contours of the dunes rather than cutting straight lines susceptible to wind erosion. Fencing should be used to stabilise sand adjacent to the track.
• Public access routes to the beach should be clearly laid out and fenced where necessary to prevent trampling that may lead to blowouts.
• Educational displays at backshore car parking areas or along footpaths should be used to explain management schemes and encourage public interest and support for the management objectives.
• Warning signs should be set up highlighting the dangers of unstable dune faces, any construction work in progress or any other hazards associated with the management schemes (gaps in rock structures, slippery algal growth, buried defences, submerged structures, mud deposits, etc)
• Post project monitoring should be undertaken at least bi-annually to assess the beach-dune evolution and the success of the scheme relative to the objectives. Appendix 2 of this guide provides monitoring guidelines.

In addition to these general guidelines the following are of specific importance to dune grass planting:

• Further detailed guidance on transplanting is available from several publications including the BTCV “Sand Dunes Handbook” (1996).
• Transplants should only include those species that are indigenous to the site to maintain the natural ecosystem.
• Transplant schemes must be continuously managed to establish a vigorous growth and to repair natural or human damage.
• Re-profiling, thatching or fencing are normally required in association with planting to enhance dune recovery and to restrict public access or damage by stock.
• Transplanting should be undertaken in the spring to maximise potential growth and minimise the risk of storm erosion.

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