Tayside Biodiversity Partnership Local Action Plan

Sand Dunes

DEFINITION
Sand dunes can develop where an adequate supply of dry, wind-blown sand (often from a low-lying coastal plain where sand can accumulate and dry out at low tide) is blown by onshore wind and trapped by an obstacle in its path (tidal litter, shingle or vegetation). Of these, vegetation is often the most important since specialist dune-building
grasses such as marram grass trap sand and encourage further deposition through which they can then grow. These stabilising grasses make the growing dunes more hospitable for other plants and animals to colonise. Moving inland, the amount of blown sand reduces and the dunes are more stable and provide easier conditions for more grasses and herbs to form a grassland or heathland. Sand that is moved from the upper, drier area of the beach may be replenished by wave action on the lower shore. Sand dunes are an important natural form of sea defence, preventing storm waves from flooding areas of low-lying land.

KEY SITES
There are four main dune areas within Tayside. Within two of these areas there are several designated sites:
The northern part of Charleton and Kinnaber Links to Montrose is included within the St Cyrus & Kinnaber Links SSSI
The Arbroath to Broughty Ferry area contains Elliot Links SSSI, Easthaven SSSI, Barry Links SSSI and Monifieth Bay SSSI. Barry Links is also notified as a cSAC and is part of the Inner Tay SPA. Broughty Ferry Local Nature Reserve (LNR) is also in this section of coast.

CURRENT STATUS AND EXTENT OF HABITAT
The ongoing sand dune survey of Scotland indicates that there may be as much as 33,000 hectares of dune in Scotland (almost three times that of England). Tayside is thought to hold 2,196 ha. of this dune resource. Of this land 1,728 ha. is vegetated and only 9 ha. bare; 92 ha. is under arable or fallow land and 368 ha. has been developed.

In Tayside, the largest habitat on windblown sand is fixed acidic dune grassland which covers 27%. Acidic soils are also shown by small amounts of dry dune heath (2%) and wet dune heath (1%). Fixed calcareous dune is locally extensive, often occurring seaward of acidic conditions. Bare sand and mobile dune is uncommon (under 2%), with more semifixed (or yellow) dune covering 7%. Dune wetland is locally extensive, covering about 6%. Scrub is locally common (4%) and woodland locally important (5%). Improved grassland is the second largest category, dominating the dune
interior in parts of Lunan Bay and Arbroath to Broughty Ferry. Arable land is locally extensive at 4%. There are four main dune areas in Tayside:

Charleton and Kinnaber Links to Montrose. This large 479 ha. bay dune and spit complex extends 6km from River North Esk to Montrose Basin where nature conservation interest is high. It consists of foredune, spit, sand-covered shingle, conifer plantations, acidic dune grassland, patches of heath, amenity grassland and offshore stone barriers to halt retreat.

Lunan Bay is a moderately sized bay dune and dune spit site located to the north and south of the Lunan Water. It has a coastal frontage of 3.5 km which is excellent for walking. Ungrazed semi-fixed dune vegetation dominates the foredune zone. Much of the interior is improved grassland. Overall, nature conservation interest is moderate.

East of Arbroath. This small bay dune system of 13 ha. is located behind 1.5km beach frontage below a raised beach cliffline. The interior is developed as mown amenity grassland. A seawall is extensive beside a promenade and road restricting any new dune development. Nature conservation interest is very low.

Arbroath to Broughty Ferry. This open coast and ness (foreland) system is one of the largest sites on the east coast at 1,641.4 ha., extending for almost 23km. For much of this distance it forms a narrow belt of open dune coast up to 400m wide. Fixed dune habitat is locally extensive at Elliot Links. Further fixed and semi-fixed dune habitat occurs at East Haven. At its widest the site is almost 4km where a very large foreland system has developed at the mouth of the River Tay. This area, Barry Links, is owned by the MoD and is used for training. It has two dune types – fixed dunes and dune heath - which are regarded as a priority under the EU Habitats Directive. Most nature conservation interest is concentrated at Barry Links.

KEY SPECIES
P = UK Priority species C = UK species of conservation concern

Birds	Shelduck	Tadorna tadorna	C
	Ringed plover	Charadrius hiaticula	C
	Little tern	Sterna albifrons	C
	Arctic tern	Sterna paradisaea	C
	Common tern	Sterna hirundo	C
Amphibians/Reptiles	Adder	Vipera berus	C
Amphibians/Reptiles	Smooth newt	Triturus vulgaris	C
Invertebrates	Small blue butterfly	Cupido minimus	C
Invertebrates	Northern brown argus	Aricia artaxerxes	P
Higher Plants	Greater yellow rattle	Rhinanthus angustifolia	C
	Coralroot orchid	Corallorhiza trifida
	Meadow saxifrage	Saxifraga granulata
	Rush-leaved fescue	Festuca arenaria
	Baltic rush	Juncus balticus
	Sea pea	Lathyrus japonicus
Lower Plants	a lichen	Cladonia uncialis ssp uncialis	C
	a lichen	Cladonia mitis	C
	Sea bryum	Bryum warneum	P
	Matted bryum	Bryum calophyllum	P

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