Changing perspectives in coastal dune management

Abstract

This special issue of the Journal of Coastal Conservation,Planning and Management (JCCPM) includes some of thethirty seven papers delivered at the international coastaldune conference ‘Changing Perspectives in Coastal DuneManagement’ held between 31st March and the 3rd April2008 in Liverpool, UK. The conference was organised bythe UK Sand Dune and Shingle Network based in Liver-pool Hope University, and attracted around 120 delegatesfrom five continents. Keynote speakers were ProfessorNorbert P. Psuty, Rutgers University, United States ofAmerica, Professor Maurice Hoffmann, Ghent University,Belgium and Dr Pat Doody, National Coastal Consultants,United Kingdom.Liverpool was the European Capital of Culture in 2008and has strong coastal associations through its maritimehistory and situation on the Mersey estuary. Most notably,the city is immediately adjacent to the Sefton Coast, aninternationally important dune system and the largest areaof open sand dunes in England. The conference organisersat the UK Sand Dune and Shingle Network have a longassociation with the management of this dune coast, andthe conference field trips made use of this local resource.Thanks are due to the site managers of this coastline forfacilitating the field trips.The conference themes addressed research and manage-ment practice around the following major topics in coastaldune management& People and dunes& Change and dynamics& NaturalnessThe conference themes appreciate dunes as a changingenvironment and that our values and attitudes to dunes alsochange. This creates a dynamic decision-making environ-ment, and raises questions concerning what is required ofcoastal dune management. In many ways these issues andquestions are not new, but the perspectives taken are newas change occurs. The conference sought to explore andinfluence these changing perspectives.Dr. Pat Doody presented a revised ‘Sand Dune Inventoryof Europe’ at the conference, and each delegate received acopy on CD. This contained detailed reports of the sanddune resource for each country. The CD was produced withthe support of Liverpool Hope University and copies areavailable to purchase through the offices of the Coastal andMarine Union (EUCC) based in Leiden, the Netherlands.The ‘Sand Dune Inventory of Europe’ is a growing knowl-edge base, the results of which may be accessed on-line viathe Encora Coastal Portal at http://www.coastalwiki.org/coastalwiki/European_Sand_Dune_Distribution. Without athorough and up to date understanding of the distribution,extent,geomorphologicaltype, vegetation, condition,useandvalue of our coastal dunes it is difficult to make robust andsustainable management decisions. More work is requiredto update and expand the Inventory, and readers are en-couraged to participate in the on-line Wiki-based Inventory.Over historical time it is possible to identify manyapproaches to dune management and some considerablechanges in the perception and value of blowing sand(Rooney and Houston 2009). As the twentieth centuryprogressed considerable effort was given to academicresearch to further our understandings of coastal dunes.Some of the notable works for the British Isles from thisearly period include Steers (1946), Salisbury (1952)andRanwell (1972). At the same time new dune managementpractices were developed across Europe as the human valuesplaced upon coastal dunes changed through, for instance, thedevelopment of the nature conservation movement.