SD7 Ammophila arenaria-Festuca rubra (marram grass-red fescue grass) semi-fixed community

SD8 Festuca rubra - Galium verum (red fescue grass - lady’s bedstraw) fixed dune grassland

SD9 Ammophila arenaria - Arrhenatherum elatius(marram grass -  false oat grass) dune grassland community

The above communities are characteristic of the East and West Dunes in particular.  A mosaic of open dune grassland and scrub has been maintained largely through management which commenced in earnest during the late 1960’s.  However, much grassland has naturally succumbed to colonisation by sea buckthorn scrub.  The ratio of scrub:grassland is unusual here for a dune system with such a high prevalence of scrub.  On some areas of fixed grey dune which have remained scrub free, marram grass Ammophila arenaria may persist even in the absence of mobile sand for hundreds of years, unless frequent mowing or trampling have occurred.  It is too coarse to be grazed by livestock or rabbits.  A long history of rabbit grazing has maintained a predominance of short sward conditions which may be herb rich and favour specialist thermophilous invertebrates eg hymenoptera, coleoptera.  Areas of coarse grassland, tending toward SD 9, are more notable for arachnids and diptera, though in contrast may lack the botanical diversity.

 

When the full range of NVC communities listed above, are present within a determined extent of open grey dune, with lower limits of negative indicator species maintained and range of sward structure perpetuated.