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Gullane Bay - sand dune protection
Gallane Bay on the south shore of the outer Firth of Forth has a long history
of protective measures being taken to stop sand movement. It is a Local Nature
Reserve and is very popular with visitors. Military manoeuvres in the Second
World War combined with visitor pressure resulted in the late 1960s in the dune
being mostly exposed bare sand. A programme
of protection was undertaken involving amongst other things:
- Sand fencing;
- Ammophila planting;
- Extensive Hipphophae
planting.
Continuing problems resulted in further additional approaches including:
- Recontouring to create a foredune;
- Wave-barrier fencing;
- Visitor management.
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Guidance: This site provides an indication of some of the pitfalls
associated with dune stabilisation. Although largely successful in its
aim of dune stabilisation (moving from State
1 to State 2) some adverse consequences have been noted. The
seaward dune face may be too steep to sustain Ammophila
growth causing die-back and reexposure of bare sand. Planting Hippophae
has lead to a loss of native dune species (Wood
2001).
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References
Wood, A.M.
2001.
Coastal erosion and tourism in Scotland: a review of protection measures to combat coastal erosion related to tourism activities and facilities.
In: Coastal Dune Management: Shared Experience of European Conservation Practice, eds.Houston, J.A., Edmondson, S.E. & Rooney, P.J.Liverpool University Press, 227-232.
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