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Dune slack regeneration - general principles
There are several approaches to the regeneration of dune slacks and dune slack
vegetation. All of the following have been used:
- Reestablishing water tables is a key element in dune slack restoration.
This can be achieved by removing the cause of water loss by blocking drainage
channels or reducing water usage (e.g. on golf courses). Other methods include
artificial infiltration
from an external source. NB This approach requires that special attention
is paid to the quality of the water. The infiltration of the dunes of Holland
with river water resulted in increased eutrophication,
one of several adverse
impacts experienced there;
- Sod removal
(together with mowing)
can regenerate earlier stages in dune slack development;
- Reprofiling dunes to create waterlogged areas can be done with machinery
on a relatively large scale as has been undertaken in the Amsterdam Water
Supply dunes.
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General guidance: Grazing
is an important management tool. When linked to wider approaches to dune
restoration, namely adopting a more dynamic approach to management, new
dune slacks will be created where blowouts are allowed to develop within
the dune system. This approach to dune slack re-creation is closely linked
to the more general
restoration techniques on sand dunes.
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