Virtual field trip to Winterton-Horsey Dunes NNR

 The phrase 'virtual field trip' may seem a bit of an oxymoron, but in these strange times it's making the best of a difficult situation. On this occasion, we 'visited' Winterton-Horsey Dunes National Nature Reserve, with a focus on how the levels of paths have changed over the last few decades, and their influence on the cover of lichens.

An introduction to the site

The importance of Winterton-Horsey Dunes is made clear by it's multiple conservation designations; it's a National Nature Reserve (NNR), Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC)(designated at a European level). The site has been granted these titles due to the presence of certain habitats and species; the primary habitats for conservation are Atlantic decalcified fixed dunes and humid dune slacks.

There is a wide variety of habitats present, partially due to the changing conditions with increasing distance from the coast - shingle beach, embryo dunes, heathland and broadleaved deciduous woodland to name a few. 




Many taxa are present at the site, either year-round or just as passing visitors. Plants include the Narrow Buckler-fern Dryopteris carthusiana, multiple species of heather, and Creeping Willow Salix repens. Wheatear and Ring Ouzel pass through on their migrations, and possibly the most charismatic residents, grey and harbour seals, can be seen along the coast all year.
 
Environmental challenges faced at the dunes

 One of the primary issues at this nature reserve is the increasing levels of informal paths being created, which damages the ground vegetation and lichen. We looked at this by using Google Earth Pro to observe the changes to path cover over time. In some areas there was no obvious change, or the 'pathiness' fluctuated, but some areas showed a clear increase in the density of paths. Below are two aerial photos showing the same area, the first from 1999, the second from 2019 - a clear increase can be seen. However, there does appear to be an overall increase in vegetation cover in that area too.




As would be expected, the more frequently used a path is, the wider it is likely to be, meaning the impact on the percentage lichen cover is over a larger area. There is a large distribution of path widths as can be seen just in the two photos of different paths below.

Narrow path showing a small impact on percentage lichen cover


Wide path disrupting the lichen cover over a large area


Although using the mean percentage lichen cover at different distances from the path centre doesn't show the extremes at either end of the scale, it can be useful in showing the general trend. This graph shows that, on average, lichen cover doesn't return to 80% until over 1m away from the centre of the path. 




Potential solutions to problems

After analysing the issue of increasing habitat disruption from paths we discussed in groups potential solutions. One idea was to encourage use of the main paths, which could increase damage from footfalls to specific areas, but would hopefully help to protect the rest of the nature reserve. This could be done by improving existing paths such as by gravelling them or building boardwalks. There could also be signage to ask people to only walk on the chosen paths, and to educate people about the species and habitats they are protecting by doing so. If sufficient funds were available, an education centre could be set up, which would educate visitors and encourage further income. Reserve wardens could also be appointed, either staff or volunteers, to encourage compliance with path rules and to engage with visitors.  



Sitting at a computer screen may be a slightly unconventional way of doing ecological fieldwork, but we all learnt a lot about the different aspects of Winterton-Horsey Dunes, and who knows, maybe we'll be the most adaptable generation of ecologists yet! :) 


Useful links for further information about Winterton-Horsey Dunes

https://sac.jncc.gov.uk/site/UK0013043

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/norfolks-national-nature-reserves/norfolks-national-nature-reserves#winterton-dunes

https://eunis.eea.europa.eu/sites/UK0013043



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grey Squirrels - an invasive species

Image
The grey squirrel ( Sciurus carolinensis ) is a cute and charismatic species, commonly seen in rural areas and urban parks, but this species causes problems for native wildlife. Since being introduced from North America in the 19th century, the grey squirrel has successfully spread across almost the entirety of Britain, with some exceptions including northern Scotland, Anglesey and the Isle of Wight.  A startled baby grey squirrel in a deciduous woodland, Hampshire Larger than the red squirrel, grey squirrels weigh around 400-600g, are 24-29cm long, and have an impressive, fluffy tail around 20cm long. Other than the obvious difference in colour, the two species can also be distinguished by the grey's lack of ear tufts. Deciduous woodland is the primary habitat of grey squirrels, but they are also common in parks and gardens, often seen visiting bird feeders. Wild food sources include acorns, plant shoots, fungi, hazelnuts and seeds from pine cones, which they extract by nibbling a...
Read more

Bramble scrub - the Mother of Oak

Image
Seen by many as wasted space, scrubland can actually harbour many species and have high conservation value. A variety of thorny and prickly plants can make up scrub, including gorse, hawthorn and blackthorn. One species common in scrub across the country is bramble ( Rubus fructicosus ). This species is often thought of as a nuisance due to its voracious growth habit, but is also valued for its plentiful berries which ripen in summer.  Brambles are in the Rosaceae family and its flowers have the typical family traits of 5 petals and many stamens. They can be white or pink. The success of brambles in colonizing new areas is party due to its asexual vegetative reproduction - new shoots grow from the rootstock, advancing the bramble cover. Each shoot (or cane) is biennial - they grow in their first year, flower and fruit the following year, then die back. This growth habit allows bramble scrub to grow in height, as new canes can grow over the framework of dead ones from previous ...
Read more

English Bluebells

Image
One springtime event I await with eager anticipation each year is the emergence of the bluebells. From late March a few nodding heads emerge sporadically across the woodland floor, and by late April they are out in full splendour, their blue hue carpeting the ground.  A display of bluebells in a broadleaved woodland, Hampshire  Compared to many wildflower species, the English or common bluebell ( Hyacinthoides non-scripta ) blooms early. This is an adaptation to its woodland habitat, to allow photosynthesis and accumulation of resources before the forest canopy becomes too dense and reduces light intensity at ground level. Bluebells can be considered ancient woodland indicators due to their slow rate of spread - populations spread up to 6cm per year .  In wetter areas, such as the west coast of the British Isles,  H. non-scripta can also grow in more open habitats, where summer cover is provided by bracken ( Pteridium aquilinum ). Bluebells have been shown to flower ...
Read more