Chapter 1: What role do sand dunes play in coastal protection?
They are habitats, biodiversity hotspots and act as a vital protection against coastal erosion. But on a sunny day like today, they can also look like the perfect place to plonk yourself.
Sand dunes act as nature's first line of defence and here to tell us why they should be respected on these sunny beach days is Dr Kevin Lynch, an expert in coastal geomorphology with the Geography Department at the University of Galway. Kevin, good morning to you.
Good morning, David. Thanks for having me on.
Well, thanks a million for joining us. Sitting on a sand dune, digging in a sand dune, bad news for the sand dune, bad news for the coast.
Yeah, definitely. Our sand dunes are under severe pressure, not just from natural pressures, but from all the visitors.
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Chapter 2: How does human activity impact sand dunes?
We're just so lucky here. I know there's heat waves all over Europe the last few weeks and it's too hot for people. And it's just perfect weather here in Ireland for it. So we get a lot of pressure from people visiting the sand dunes.
OK, now, as I mentioned, the sand dunes are very important from a coastal erosion point of view.
Yeah, exactly. So just the sheer height of them and width of them and flexibility of them takes a lot of the energy out of storms and protects us from coastal storms. So they're something we get for free as a coastal protection. And, you know, we're delighted with that. So we're trying to look after them a bit more, try to protect them a bit more so that we can get that benefit into the future.
Chapter 3: What should beachgoers know about respecting sand dunes?
And what people might not realise, particularly when they're spreading the picnic blanket out or whatever, lots of wildlife in them as well.
yeah that's it and it's both the ones that run around and fly around and the plants themselves so the plants are very important they bind the sand together and the root systems really hold it together and if we're trampling on top of it you know they die quite easily even though it's a really harsh environment for them with the salt and the sea and everything that they actually are quite tough in that sense but if we stand on them and walk on them then they die off and that kind of releases the sand
and it it's wind erosion then at that stage so we have to try and avoid that i suppose one of the the problems is a lot of um teams and sports teams are are very interested in stamina training and and you know one particular team from the southwest one in all ireland a few years ago and the front the headline on the paper the following day was because they were running up and down sand dunes for the winter so that's a very uh that's a very tough one on the sand dunes to have a you know an inter-county team running up and down so
You know, it's that level and it's the everyday visitors as well that can put real pressure on them.
OK, so what are you saying to people? I mean, we do not want to be a downer on anybody's day on the beach or anything like that. But, like, what are you saying to people? Stick to the paths. Don't climb the sand dunes. Is that it?
Yeah, more or less. Stick to the paths. If there's any marked paths or marked ways to go, stick to those. Enjoy the beach. The beach, especially a low tide, is normally huge and loads of space there for people. I suppose one of the other things is in terms of the biodiversity and the plants and animals, the birds actually nest on the ground on beaches, on the upper beaches and in the sand dunes.
So if people could keep their dogs on leashes, if they're allowed on the beaches, a lot of the bylaws don't prevent dogs on beaches during the summer. But if they could keep them on the leash, it would be really helpful for the ground nesting birds as well.
OK, I mean, are a lot of the more vulnerable sand dunes, would they be fenced off?
No, I'm afraid there's a variety of reasons why they're not, but primarily it's because they're too extensive to fence off everything.
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Chapter 4: Why is biodiversity important in sand dune ecosystems?
A lot of them are on farmer's lands and so they'd be less accessible to people, but publicly owned ones, generally they wouldn't be fenced off. So we're working on a number of sites to Not so much fence them off, but kind of direct people through them so that they can go through them safely rather than trampling everywhere.
Yeah, because there are paths on most beaches. There are paths you can use.
Yeah, exactly. And then, you know, at major access points, there might be, you know, ramp ways or steps or whatever that people can use as well. So if people could use them, it would be really handy and really take the pressure off the rest of the sand dunes.
Okay, and on a more general issue about beaches, lots of people flocking to our coasts over the last couple of days and probably in the days to come as well. And many people are very good and they leave nothing behind, but some aren't so good.
Chapter 5: What safety concerns should beach visitors be aware of?
Does that frustrate you?
Yeah, of course it does. But, you know, it's up to everybody to be responsible and take away the waste. Leave no trace, I suppose, is the main message if you... bring it in, bring it back out again with you. And the other thing then, of course, is the safety side of it. Especially after the winter storms, you have dune faces that look very inviting for kids to
dig into and make a little cave or whatever, but they can be very dangerous. They collapse very easily and you just can't dig people out when they're buried under sand. So just to be very careful on that front as well.
Yeah, now I know you've been trying to get the message out about sand dunes and the importance of protecting them. And in some places, at least that message is getting through.
Oh yeah, without a doubt. And, you know, we have great success stories all around the country where communities have come together with the local authorities and really marked out clearly where the pathways are and where the biodiversity is.
Some communities even have their own little walks that they bring people on to explain, well, here's a rare plant or a rare natterjack toad or whatever the case may be. I think we're really having a lot of success. We have a DOOM campaign that we're basically launching next week. We do it for June and July and August.
We're sending out this message with some social posts and things as well as part of our Beaches and Dunes network.
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Chapter 6: How can communities effectively protect sand dunes?
So if anybody wants posters to put up around their own local dunes and it's about these different messages, by all means, go on to dunes.ie and you can download them from there.
Okay, we'll be giving you a head start on your campaign. So the message basically is stick to the paths, don't climb the dunes and whatever you do, don't be digging in them. Yeah, exactly. OK, Dr Kevin Lynch, expert in coastal geomorphology with the Geography Department at the University of Galway. Thank you so much for joining us.