Brave it or Shave it?

How the management of Kenfig dune

slacks affects its biodiversity.
2.5
Background.

Mean Shannon diversity

Findings. 2
1.5
Sand dunes are a coastal feature, formed by the build- The results of figure 1 show a total of eight separate
1
up and erosion of sediment via wind. Between the large plant species present overall at the unmanaged dune,
0.5
dune formations, lie dune slacks; areas of poor compared to sixteen plant species in figure 2. In the
0
nutrients, that are home to many rare plant species unmanaged dune slack, there was a much higher Unamanaged Dune Managed Dune Slack
Slack
which are of importance to conservationists (Grootjans, relative species abundance of pointed spear moss (Salix
Habitat
et al., 1998). To conserve these rare plants, repens) (27%) and creeping willow (Calliergonella Figure 3. A bar graph showing the average Shannon diversity of
management strategies were put in place to help keep cuspidata/Calliergon cuspidatum) (60%), compared to in different habits

the species from being outcompeted by dominant
wetland species. A prominent example of this control
strategy is at the Kenfig Dunes (Mitchell, 2008). Original
management strategies used on Kenfig included the
grazing of sheep and rabbits, however, this proved to be
unsuccessful (Jones, et al. 2004). Since then, a
successful mowing regime has been implemented
(Houston, 2008) as well as the introduction of cattle for
grazing (Shepherd, 2015).
In this study, an unmanaged and managed dune slack
site were surveyed to determine whether the
implemented management strategies had a significant
impact on biodiversity.
Figure 1. A pie graph showing the total
species abundance of unmanaged
dune slacks at Kenfig
the managed dune slack where both their abundances A student t-test was also conducted on the results which
dropped to 7%. A study by This suggests that without found a T-value of 13.531 (0.05 alpha level). This means
grazing at the managed site, these two species would the difference in species diversity between the two sites
dominate the Kenfig dune habitat and prevent the was extremely significant. A National Vegetation
growth of additional species, which is a common Classification was also assigned to both dune slack sites
characteristic of dry dune slacks (Smith and Kimpton, using Mavis 1.03 software (Smart, 2016). It found that
2008). the classification of best fit for both sites was the Salix
repens-Calliergon cuspidatum dune-slack community;
Carex nigra sub-community (SD15a). This result was to
By using Pisces Software 4.0 (Seaby & Henderson, 2006) be expected as although there is a significant difference
the Shannon species diversity was calculated. It was in biodiversity at each site, they are both located on the
found that there was a mean higher species diversity in Kenfig burrows and therefore be similar plant
the managed dune slack (1.9836) compared to the communities.
unmanaged slack (0.93838), which can be seen in figure it can be seen that the presence of management
3. strategies such as mowing or grazing on the Kenfig dune
slacks had a significant difference in its biodiversity. This
is most likely due to the control of dominant plant
species such as S. repens and C. cuspidata which hinder
the growth of other plant species. This study also shows
similar findings to one conducted by Plassmann, et al.
(2010), who found a 34.1% increase in the average
number of species per quadrat, after management
Figure 2. A pie graph showing the total species abundance of the strategies were introduced to dune slacks.
managed dune slacks site in Kenfig burrows.
The key for both figure 1 and 2 can also be seen (right).

References.
Grootjans, A. P., Ernst, W. H. O., & Stuyfzand, P. J. (1998). European dune slacks: strong interactions of biology, pedogenesis and hydrology. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 13(3), 96-100.
Houston, J. A. (2008). Management of Natura 2000 habitats. 2190 Humid dune slacks. European Commission.
Jones, M. L. M., Wallace, H. L., Norris, D., Brittain, S. A., Haria, S., Jones, R. E., ... & Emmett, B. A. (2004). Changes in vegetation and soil characteristics in coastal sand dunes along a gradient of atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Plant Biology, 6(05), 598-605.
Mitchell, D. (2008). Core Management plan (including conservation objectives) for Kenfig. Countryside Council for Wales.
Plassmann, K., Jones, M. L. M., & Edwards‐Jones, G. (2010). Effects of long‐term grazing management on sand dune vegetation of high conservation interest. Applied Vegetation Science, 13(1), 100-112.
Seaby, R. M. & Henderson, P. A. (2006). Species Diversity and Richness Version 4. Pisces Conservation Ltd., Lymington, England
Shephard, M. (2015). Kenfig national reserve Management plan. Bridgend County Borough council. Obtained at: https://democratic.bridgend.gov.uk/documents/s4864/150512%20Kenfig%20National%20Nature%20Reserve%20M
Smart, S. (2016). Modular Analysis of Vegetation Information statistics version 1.03. Centre for Ecology and Hydrology., Wallingford, England
Austin Ball
Smith, P. H. & Kimpton, A. (2008). Effects of grey willow Salix cinerea removal on the floristic diversity of a wet dune-slack at Cabin Hill National Nature Reserve on the Sefton Coast, Merseyside, England. England Conserv Evid, 5, 6-11 SN: 852163