Much of the open grey dune on the NNR has succumbed to succession to sea buckthorn scrub. Browsing by rabbits will suppress further colonisation somewhat, but management intervention is necessary to maintain the extent of open grey dune and restore the balance of grey dune:scrub.

It is desirable to maintain tangible management units comprising the above communities through the suppression of scrub.  In places, this will be achieved through grazing or mowing operations or manual removal, with a view to grey dune restoration.

Large-scale scrub clearance has taken place on the NNR previously.  Of particular note are the cleared sections of the West Dunes (compt 1/22), Meads Outpost (compt 1/26/B) and Army Swathe (compt 1/25/A) where dune grassland has been restored.

Where clearance of established sea buckthorn has been carried out on the dunes, restoration to species rich grey dune, is a protracted and intensive business.  Due to the enriched substrate, a long period of ruderal invasion has to be overcome following clearance of mature sea buckthorn. Typically, a flush of nettle Urtica dioica, creeping thistle Cirsium arvense, rosebay willowherb Epilobium angustifolium and spring beauty Montia perfoliata predominate.  Management of the substrate through scraping off the litter layer or soil inversion may be advantageous, but rarely achievable in this situation.

Management priorities today, centre on the conservation of rich grey dune communities through the suppression of pioneer scrub and the clearance of selected areas of semi-mature scrub to restore grey dune. The former is straightforward, can be carried out in any month and relies upon removal of young growth by cutting or ideally removal by hand-pulling, ensuring that root structures are removed or damaged. Selective spot-spraying with Garlon may be used if sanctioned by EN.

The removal of established scrub is proposed on the saltings ridge system (compt 14), where an opportunity exists to restore a full transition from yellow dune to grey dune and on the west bank of the Shoveler's enclosure (Compt 26). The latter will be contiguous with the Mead's clearance to the south. The scrub coppice regime in the Measures enclosure will also create a more open patchwork of dune grassland and scrub. It may be desirable longer term to target some areas here for complete clearance.

The proposed scrub clearance operations outlined above will require large-scale machinery. Scrub will be up-rooted, and burnt off in fire pits. This work will be carried out in the target areas in successive winters. Ruderal invasion will need to be managed by intensive cutting during the following springs/summers.

Rosebay willowherb is ubiquitous on the open dune grassland of the East Dunes.  In areas it has completely dominated over typical grey dune sward in monotypic swathes.  This was first recognised as a management problem in the early 1980’s (Curry, Bromwich) and efforts were made to control its spread from then on.  Various methods have been used, mostly manual and machine but sheep-grazing has also demonstrated success and selective herbicide application has achieved good result in some of the densest stands.  Today, after nine years of management in one previously monotypic stand in the East Dunes, there remains extensive bare ground with good signs of recolonisation by typical dune plants.  Rosebay is present, but sparse.  Smaller areas which have not been managed have ultimately been succeeded by sea buckthorn.

On the West Dunes, a programme of eradication has been implemented for various garden cultivars which were doubtless introduced via fly-tipping of garden waste along the road edge and particularly around the old Middle Car Park.  Lesser periwinkle has largely been brought under control. Outcrops of daffodils occur on the grey dune, resulting from unofficial planting.  Unlike the former species, an invasive spread is not likely, but nonetheless, their presence amongst the native flora is undesirable.

Ragwort Senecio jacobaea, though an important native species, is also a notifiable weed and the Trust is obliged to carry out control where problems may arise with neighbouring landowners.  Thus management policy has targeted this species more on the West Dunes and more recently on Jackson’s Marsh and Tennyson’s Sands.  Elsewhere, it is removed from hay cutting areas and where there are any concerns associated with livestock grazing.  Control has also been necessary from time to time in Mead’s Outpost.  Cutting ragwort has little long-term effect and may serve only to coppice this biennial/perennial.  Hand-pulling though labour-intensive will yield better results, where the roots can be removed or damaged.  The lazy-dog root remover appears to provide very good results and is also used to remove creeping thistle from hay crop swards.

Heavy rabbit grazing on grey dune will impact severely on the sward structure and composition. Rosebay, ragwort and spring beauty are not grazed by rabbits and growing conditions for such species are enhanced by the suppression of other competitors in the sward.  Whilst the benefits of such grazing are discussed earlier in the plan, the lack of uniformity across the grey dunes is undesirable and rabbit control will be exercised when guided by the condition assessment protocols.  Targetted rabbit control in some compartments will also facilitate a controlled sheep grazing programme.

Rabbit control; Control methods are discussed below.

Shooting

Licenced operator using low-velocity .22 or shotgun at night.  Limited by operator availability and activities curtailed when resident groups in Field Station.

Ferreting

Very labour-intensive.  Scrub difficult to work around.  Ferrets must have radio-collars.

Technique for outside breeding season only.

Trapping

Labour intensive.  Traps visible to public.

Gassing

Not advocated on dune systems.  A non-selective approach which may cause large impact on incidental occupants of rabbit warrens, eg natterjack toad, invertebrates.

None of these methods are particularly discrete and operations are hampered by the extensive public use of the site.  This emotive issue could incur adverse reaction from the public.  Seacroft Golf Course have been targeted by animal rights campaigners because of their rabbit control policy.

Small scale rabbit exclosures have been instated in extensive areas of heavily grazed dune turf, to safeguard areas of dune flora and the invertebrates which are dependent.  They also serve educational purposes, particularly where there is no management intervention within the exclosure. Where exclosures are erected for conservation purposes, the sward should be cut during late summer/autumn and the cuttings removed.  Such exclosures do however, impinge on the aesthetics of the landscape.

Prior to the rabbit population explosion, sheep grazing was carried out during late summer and autumn across a range of small grey dune plots from the late 1980’s to early 1990’s.  On the West Dunes, North Plot (compt 1/22/G), South Plot (1/22/F) and Mill Pond Meadow (1/23/A) and in Meads Outpost (1/26/B).  Rabbits were quick to move in and keep the sward down following the introduction of sheep.  Today, the requirement of livestock is largely negated in these compartments because of the rabbit-grazing.  Light sheep-grazing may be required once every three years or so, where coarse grasses are beginning to dominate in South Plot, Mead’s Outpost and other areas on the East Dunes which have been identified for the maintenance of short-turf communities.

If the rabbit population was to be eradicated however (for example through RVHD), then the other extreme scenario would present itself … ie the dominance of coarse vegetation and increased colonisation by scrub.  Experimental rabbit exclosures have shown that in three years the loss of floral diversity may exceed 75%.  All bare ground is colonised in this time and grasses predominate eg red fescue Festuca rubra, false oat Arrhenatherum elatius, yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus and cocksfoot Dactylis glomerata.  A thatch of dead material builds up, which may prevent the germination of annuals and promote the organic content of the substrate.

Thus if the rabbit population was eliminated, a wide-scale sheep-grazing regime would need to be initiated to maintain the grey dune communities in favourable condition, although it is unlikely that all microhabitats would be replicated under sheep-grazing.  However, sheep grazing exerts different regimes, particularly in mixed scrub and grassland sites and it is envisaged that their browsing will have a more intense effect on problematic scrub encroachment. Presently, sheep-grazing, where practiced on the grey dunes is facilitated with temporary electric fencing and/or scrub dead- hedging. The use of electric fencing is quite labour-intensive, less reliable than stockfencing and certainly more prone to tampering or theft of equipment. The permanent fencing required to facilitate a wide-scale sheep- grazing programme is somewhat constrained by the aesthetic implications of fencing in this environment and the reconciliation of public access.  Certain areas of the East Dunes do however lend themselves well to the establishment of tangible stock management units on a scale which would reduce the negative aesthetics of the fencing and provide an opportunity to oversee the management of tracts of mixed scrub and grassland on a large scale. Priorities for consideration, include the Ringing Hollow and the dune ridge from Mill Hill to North Building (Compts 24 and 26 respectively) where rabbit control has been more intense. In the longer term, stockfencing of the central section (Compt 25) would complete a contiguous grazing system of the entire ridge. This middle section is generally heavily rabbit grazed at present and is therefore a lower priority consideration.

The rabbit population is presently surveyed via a transect recording system which provides an index.  Rabbit population data, coupled with vegetative surveys assist with formulating appropriate deployment of livestock or rabbit control.

At the present time, there is clearly a role for both rabbit and livestock grazing on the grey dunes. Rabbit control measures are aimed at reducing year round uniformity of the sward and ideally to allow more controlled livestock grazing.  Timing and stocking can be adjusted to lessen the impact on floristically rich swards where previously there has been continuous depletion of flowering heads.  Hebridean sheep may also tackle some of the negative sward species such as rosebay, ragwort and scrub. It would be possible to manage a much larger resident flock if the above fencing rationale was deemed acceptable. A flock of c 50 could follow a grazing rotation around the reserve , remaining in each enclosure until the desired sward state had been achieved, based on seasonality (i.e. less pressure during the flowering season unless dictated otherwise by the need for ruderal control). It would be unrealistic to assume that each compt would be grazed at exactly the same time every year in this scenario. The expansion of the resident flock would require a higher level of husbandry and extension of stock-handling facilities and it is reccommended that a local contact with sheep-dogs is sought for occasional contract work.

The prescription for the Measures enclosure and the Shovelers enclosure is to graze ith cattle to maintain the open grey dune and slack grassland. It is envisaged that the physical actions of cattle will have the additional benefit of breaking up the scrub blocks and opening up more grassland and ecotone. Subsequent grazing/browsing by Hebridean sheep may then serve to suppress pioneer scrub growth and certain ruderal species.

The rationale for dune management therefore is to enlarge management areas and allow them to be shaped and maintained by livestock. This is designed to replicate a more natural scenario and reduce the manpower input assosciated with mowing/raking and scrub control operations. In such areas, it is anticipated that mowing operations may be neccessary to top ruderal species post- grazing.

Elsewhere, summer/autumn mowing is carried out along dune ride edges on a biennial programme where rabbit grazing is at low intensity for example, Mill Hill (1/25/D) to Shoveler’s ride (1/26/C).  In the West Dunes, short turf rides are maintained by mowing along South Plot and West Ride (1/22) where rabbit activity and visitor pressure are low.

Barrie’s Plot (compt 1/22/A) exhibits a fine dune sward (SD8b), including cowslip Primula veris, pyramidal orchid Anacamptis pyramidals and meadow saxifrage Saxifraga granulata.  Within a 30x10m plot, 68 species of plant have been recorded.  Where dune meadows are managed specifically for their botanical interest, heavy rabbit grazing is undesirable and control is implemented.  Annual mowing will be carried in July/Aug out to prevent the sward becoming rank. This may be followed up by autumn sheep- grazing. Elsewhere, ride edges are mown along the East and West Dunes.

The Mere Four Acres is still managed by topping and grazing to combat a rank sward and pernicious weeds.  Whilst there are elements of grey dune here, much of the landscape comprises spoil banks from the Mere excavation.