Influence of sandy beach management strategies on biological communities and wind-blown sand

Abstract

ABSTRACT Sandy beaches create unique ecosystems with diverse services such as coastal protection, habitats for organisms, and recreational use. Appropriate sandy beach management is required to use these diverse services. However, management practices often degrade sandy beach ecosystems, and the ecosystem in each management practices needs to be clarified for planning a green infrastructure. This study clarified the influence of the management practices on topography, function of decreasing sand transport, vegetation, and arthropod, suggesting the management strategies needed to provide various services. Three study sites were set up by management practices at Kawashimo Beach in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan: a natural dune site without targeted management intervention, a grading site where dunes are graded for recreational use, and an artificial dune site with created dunes to prevent sand transport. Topography, sand accumulation on the seaward side of the wind fence and spatial distribution of vegetation and arthropods were compared between the three sites. The grading site had no vegetation, whereas the artificial dune site had vegetation that would decrease sand transport and provide habitat for insects inhabiting vegetation, similar to the natural dune site. We propose that allowing space for dunes with vegetation is necessary to maintain the diverse services.