Dune Landscape Research Articles

Landscape and geotourism on the Dutch coast in the seventeenth century as depicted by landscape artists

Abstract The first evidence of tourism on the Dutch coast can be found in drawings and etchings from the end of the sixteenth century. In this period Holland developed into one of the most urbanized regions of Europe. The interest in landscape originated in the towns. The first scenes depicted are those of mass tourism on the beach: sensation-mongers drawn to the beach by whales, sailing cars and departing kings and queens. Somewhat later the dune landscape became a main recreational focus, in which the physical aspects of the landscape were also appreciated. Around the town of Haarlem, individuals and small groups of people started exploring the dune landscape. In the wake of this new interest, landscape painting developed as an artistic genre. It became the most popular genre in the first half of the seventeenth century, and Haarlem developed as a centre for landscape painters. This paper discusses geomorphological features and geotourism engagement as depicted in several of the early etchings and landscape paintings.

Spatio-temporal patterns of colonization and expansion of Retama monosperma on developing coastal dunes

Sand stabilization by human plantation is generally considered as one of the most influential factors in biodiver- sitylossofcoastaldune.Frequently,theenvironmental impact occurs beyond the initial plantation areas due to some planted species are capable to expand to the surrounding dune areas due to sometimes these species exhibiting invasive behavior. Assessing how the spatial and temporal colonization and spread of a shrub species takes place is an arduous task as the initial establishment is influenced by several factors. An understanding of this could be of great importance to the ac- curatepredictionof the course of invasions and establish man- agement plans. In this study, we quantify and analyze the spatio-temporal expansion patterns of the shrub Retama monosperma in a coastal dune landscape. In conjunction with measurements of plant spatial distribution, maturity and di- mensions, we use an age-analysis approach to analyze the age structure of the colonizing population and the character- istics of the spread of the R. monosperma population in the early end of a sand spit formed over the last 33 years. The age structure of the dune population suggests that recruitment has increased continuously over time as the population has in- creased. We found significant differences between age and diameter size structures of dune ridge populations due to their different colonization stages and, in particular, to the environ- mental conditions. The presence of long-distance dispersers is essential for the spread of R. monosperma in this fragmented landscape. Population expansion is achieved by means of a coupled pattern of radiating wave fronts and the continuous establishmentofmultipleBnascentfoci^onridges,whichthen expand and coalesce. R. monosperma displays lag-phase be- havior in the early stages of colonization.

Secondary succession of trees in the dune landscape of the ‘Glinki’ long-term research area – analysis with GIS

Abstract The aim of the study was to present the main characteristics of the ‘Glinki’ research area together with results of the first measurements on tree number, density, distribution and species composition carried out in 2011. The research was conducted in a free-of-forest management part of the Toruń military area which is located in one of the biggest inland dune fields of Europe. The ‘Glinki’ research area was established in 2011 and consists of two plots (together 26.3 ha), which are in close proximity to each other. After the last fire in 1991, secondary succession has been the main factor shaping vegetation on both plots. For every plot, the location of all trees of at least 1 m height (560 in plot I and 292 in plot II) was determined. These measurements were subjected to spatial analysis in ArcGIS 9.3 with special emphasis on the exposure of the dune slopes. The main tree species on both plots were Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris, and birch, Betula pendula, (82 % and 17 % of all trees respectively). Tree density 20 years after the last fire was very low (32 trees/ha), which mainly resulted from the lack of a sufficient source of seeds in the close vicinity of the plots during the first years after the fire. We also found that tree distribution was related to the main direction of seed inflow and land relief. Tree density was much higher on dune slopes with a northern exposure when compared to other slope exposures, which resulted from different site conditions on the different slopes.

Managing Dune Landscape Changes at Jockey's Ridge State Park, North Carolina

Coastal dunes are challenging to manage due to their dynamic nature, vulnerable ecosystems, and recreational demand. A limited management approach was studied at Jockey's Ridge, the largest active dune on the US Atlantic coast. Visitor experience data, digital elevation models, and informal stories and photos were integrated in a case study approach. Data revealed the value of an integrated management approach that preserved the dune as a unique “living” geomorphological feature with interventions limited to the park borders. The accessibility of the dune to visitors facilitated intense, enjoyable interactions with nature. Elevation data show that the management approach has maintained the dune's unique naturally dynamic character, revealing the benefits of preserving processes rather than features.

‘This restless enemy of all fertility’: exploring paradigms of coastal dune management in Western Europe over the last 700 years

Drifting sand has inundated settlements and damaged agricultural land along the coasts of Western Europe for the last 700 years. The need to control sand migration has been an important driver of the management of coastal sand dunes and here we analyse original archival materials to provide new insights into historically changing coastal dune management practices. Records of coastal sand movement in Denmark, The Netherlands, Britain, Ireland and France were reviewed and three distinct management approaches were identified. The ways in which these approaches have played out in space and time were examined with particular reference to records from landed estates in Britain and Ireland. We demonstrate how historical evidence can be used to inform contemporary debates on dune management strategy and practice. We propose a new place‐based approach to the future management of coastal dunes that can incorporate both expert and locally produced ‘knowledges’ and that is underpinned by an understanding of how both natural forces and human interventions have shaped these dune landscapes over time.

The Vulnerability Level of Groundwater Quality Degradation in The Ecosystem of Sand Dune Landscape on the Southern Coast of Central Java and the Yogyakarta Special Region, Indonesia

The sand dune ecosystem phenomenon in the research area has unique and interesting characters. It is identified that there is an increase in the construction of the environment in the use of sand dune ecosystem which influence the groundwater quality. Such phenomenon is the manifestation of the existence of spatial dynamics influencing the groundwater degradation vulnerability. This research is aimed at 1) predicting the level of groundwater quality degradation vulnerability based on the sand dune ecosystem spatial dynamics; 2) developing an environmental management model to continuously maintain the availability of groundwater. The research employed survey research and inductive mapping. The aspect of the study included an environmental study with hydromorphological and hydrogeological approach. Analysis and evaluation were based on the multiplication of weight and rate, and were done on landscape units resulting from the map overlay. The research result indicates that there are 4 (four) classes of groundwater degradation vulnerability out of the 5 (five) classes of vulnerability determined beforehand. Groundwater degradation vulnerability classes III and IV indicate problems of disturbances in the groundwater supply system and domestic and agricultural waste pollution. In order to overcome the disturbances in the groundwater supply system, water infiltration well should be constructed, communal domestic water processing should be encouraged, and in order to reduce pollution from the use of agricultural fertilizers, the fertilizers should be blended with clay.

Late Holocene temporal constraints for human occupation levels at the Bodo archaeological locality, east-central Alberta, Canada using radiocarbon and luminescence chronologies

The Bodo Archaeological Locality in east-central Alberta is one of the largest precontact (prehistoric) archaeological sites in the Canadian Prairie Ecozone. Situated at the transition between the aspen parkland and fescue grassland regions within a postglacial eolian dune landscape, the site has the potential to add to existing understandings of cultural–environmental dynamics as they relate to late Holocene hunter-gatherer settlement and subsistence patterns in the region. To that end, we present a composite stratigraphy for the locality constructed from five separate sampling pits, obtaining chronological control using accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon and luminescence ages. We identify three main periods of landscape stability and associated human occupation during the late Holocene: 750 to 400 cal B.C., 750 to 1000 cal A.D., and 1450 to 1750 cal A.D. Early Holocene eolian activity is documented, but the mid-Holocene stratigraphic record is absent, suggesting extensive sediment reworking. Evidence also exists of major cultural landscape changes that coincide with the arrival of Euro-Canadians.

Assessing Current Conditions of Coastal Dune Systems of Mediterranean Developed Shores

ABSTRACT Pinto, J.; Marti, C., and Fraguell, R.M., 2014. Assessing current conditions of coastal dune systems of Mediterranean developed shores. A method of assessment was developed to evaluate the current condition and function of dunes in developed coastal tourist areas of the Mediterranean. The aim was to identify a procedure for differentiating between more and less valuable dune systems. The method was tested on the Costa Brava (Catalonia, NE Spain) and may prove useful for designing conservation and management strategies for coastal dunes in developed areas. The evaluation method was based on a set of 12 indicators relating to three aspects that we consider fundamental for the management of dune landscapes: dune morphology (dune landforms) associated with the evolution of the dune system, dune vegetation, and human impacts. The assessment was tested on each of the 34 existing dune systems of the Costa Brava. Cluster analysis provided a classification into five groups differentiated by characteristic...

Land Saturation in SE Niger: Triangulating Qualitative and Quantitative Information for Critical Assessment of Land Use Trajectories

The paper analyzes land use changes, notably cropland expansion, in SE-Niger from the mid-1980s to 2011. It scrutinizes land use trajectories and investigates how cultivation shifts between dune landscapes and valleys (bas-fonds) in response to climate, population pressure, and sociocultural opportunities, combining lenses rooted in land change science and the notions of double exposure and human-environmental timelines. Specifically, the interest is directed towards exploring the value of different methods of land use data harvesting. The importance of cropland expansion is assessed in two ways: by interpreting Landsat satellite images and by interviewing local people to obtain qualitative descriptions. The results demonstrate a glaring discrepancy between the assessed land use trends derived from these two data sources. Issues such as important developments in landscape priorities, allocation of cropland between dunes and valleys, possible land saturation, and adaptation to climate change or globalization are portrayed very differently. It is concluded that critical attention to data reliability is crucial to avoid misleading narratives in land change science, especially in places covered by sparse data.

Boundary-based analysis for the assessment of coastal dune landscape integrity over time

Coastal dunes are transitional systems which offer manifold ecosystem services, including material and intangible benefits, whose relevance for human society has been little investigated to date. In order to plan a sustainable use of these threatened ecosystems, proper indicators to quantify ecological services and functions over time should be provided. Since the functionality of coastal dunes is affected by the specific contiguity among different dune habitat patches, in this paper we propose the use of landscape integrity, expressed by the number and length of boundary types among the aforementioned habitats, as an ecosystem functionality indicator. In particular, we aim at properly expressing the trend of coastal dune mosaic integrity in two Italian LTER sites over the last sixty years by applying a generalized diversity function on the number and length of boundary types. Such functions, unlike a traditional diversity index, allow a complete summarization of landscape diversity and structure. The proposed method has proved to be effective in the considered context, because it has adequately underlined the different landscape integrity trend recorded in the two sites. In particular, generalized diversity functions showed to efficiently express both rough and moderate anthropogenic transformations, which affected spatial heterogeneity and functionality of the considered coastal dune mosaic. Further applications at different scales and across different ecosystems are encouraged.

Room to move? Threatened shorebird habitat in the path of sea level rise—dynamic beaches, multiple users, and mixed ownership: a case study from Rhode Island, USA

Accelerated sea level rise (slr) is expected to transform vulnerable Atlantic coastal habitats in the United States during this century. Low-elevation sandy beaches, important nesting habitat for the continued recovery of the federally threatened piping plover (Charadrius melodus) in Rhode Island, are especially vulnerable. These beaches, under a mix of private and public ownership, exist in a heterogeneous landscape of dunes, rocky headlands, salt ponds, and heavily developed areas. Understanding the extent to which piping plover nesting beaches can retreat landward under projected slr is important for prioritizing future conservation actions across multiple jurisdictions. This research examines habitat change in response to slr (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 m) under stationary and migration beach responses and whether development blocks habitat migration for five productive piping plover nesting beaches. We found that under the stationary habitat model, all beaches lose area under all slr scenarios. For the habitat migration model, future habitat availability differs by beach depending on elevation, landward topography, and presence of development. However, across the majority of beach area, piping plover habitat will be able to migrate landward if unconstrained by future development. A coalition of public and private stakeholders already supports management efforts to help ensure plover population recovery in the area. With emerging habitat change prediction tools, these stakeholders and other partners can engage in innovative, local-level planning needed to protect wildlife habitat and commercial, residential, and infrastructure assets from sea level rise.

Assessing significant geomorphic changes and effectiveness of dynamic restoration in a coastal dune ecosystem

A shift from restoring coastal dunes as stabilized landscapes toward more morphodynamic ecosystems is underway. This paper uses results from a recent case study where invasive vegetation was removed from a coastal dune complex in western Canada as a first step in a dynamic ecosystem restoration project. Spatial statistical methods, used in the natural sciences to quantify patterns of significant spatial–temporal changes, are reviewed and the local Moran's Ii spatial autocorrelation statistic is explored for detecting and assessing significant changes. Cluster maps of positive (depositional) and negative (erosional) changes were used to derive statistically significant volumetric changes within discrete geomorphic units (beach, foredune, transgressive dune) over one year following vegetation removal. All units experienced net increases in sediment budgets compared to a pre-restoration surface. The beach experienced the highest episodic erosion and volumetric change and greatest net annual sediment budget. Compared to the beach, the annual sediment budget of the foredune was 19% whereas the transgressive dune was 33%. The foredune recovered rapidly to initial erosion during restoration and subsequent natural events with consistently positive sediment volumes and attained a form similar to that pre-restoration. Aeolian deflation and sand bypassing through the foredune was greatest in the two months following vegetation removal and peak accretion in the transgressive dune resulted from depositional lobes extending from the foredune, smaller dunes migrating within the complex, and growth of a precipitation ridge along the eastern margin.Several methodological and logistical considerations for detecting significant change in dynamic dune landscapes are discussed including sampling strategy design, data normalization and control measures, and incorporating uncertainty and inherent spatial relations within acquired datasets to ensure accuracy and comparability of results. Generally underutilized in coastal geomorphology, spatial autocorrelation methods (e.g., local Moran's Ii) are recommended over spatially uniform threshold approaches for the ability to detect local change processes and explore hypotheses on spatial–temporal dynamics.Finally, several key geomorphic indicators, that are believed to aid in re-establishing ecological conditions and processes that favor more resilient and natural dune ecosystems, are identified for assessing the effectiveness of dynamic restoration projects including: increased aeolian activity, enlarged active sand surface area, positive sediment budgets, increased dune morphodynamics, improved geomorphic diversity, and enhanced geomorphic resilience. Although limited in temporal scope, the case study results show that the initial phase of the restoration treatment was effective in enhancing all indicators except for increasing sand surface area. Given decadal scale observations of climatic changes and longer-term eco-geomorphic trajectory toward stabilization in the region, however, it is unlikely that the geomorphic effectiveness of this restoration effort will continue without continued frequent treatment interventions.

Twenty years of land use and livelihood changes in SE-Niger: Obsolete and short-sighted adaptation to climatic and demographic pressures?

This paper explores the evolution of land use and natural resource management strategies over the past twenty to fifty years in a remote Sahelian region. The empirical example is Karagou village in SE Niger. Building on an in-depth survey from 1992 and a targeted, follow-up analysis of contemporary land use strategies in 2011, the change process is scrutinized.The analysis uses the conceptual lenses of land systems science, human–environmental timelines, and the notion of multiple exposures. Enabling and constraining conditions for local livelihoods in terms of the resource base (landscape, water, and population) are described. Results characterize how land use strategies have developed and how local people opportunistically use different landscape elements such as dune landscapes, valley bottoms (bas-fonds) and oases (cuvettes). Major concerns are rainfall variability, saturation of cropland, and perceived dwindling groundwater resources. It is concluded that the land use and livelihood strategies have remained remarkably stable in the face of the changing socio-ecological fringe conditions, but that this situation may hamper a sustainable transformation.

Initiation and variation of the dune fields in semi-arid China – with a special reference to the Hunshandake Sandy Land, Inner Mongolia

Sedimentary sequences occurring in desert dunes reflect changes in desert systems, and as such may contain signals useful for recognizing spatial and temporal changes of deserts and their response to regional or even global climate fluctuations. Geomorphological and palaeoenvironmental studies within the dune fields of the Asian middle-latitudes have provided some solid evidence for interpreting the history of these sand seas. Using the Hunshandake (Otindag) Sandy Land, a sandy area covered primarily by stabilized dunes and located in the semi-arid zone of eastern Inner Mongolia, China (Fig. 1), as an example, we studied the initiation and variation in the dune landscape in the eastern portion of the desert belt in northern China. On the basis of physical and biochemical indicators in the sediments and OSL chronology, we herein argue that this dune system in the middle latitudes of eastern Asia is much younger than previously assumed and that it has responded sensitively to climate change during the late Quaternary. Geological evidence from the Sandy Land suggests that most of the current dunes are of late Pleistocene or even Holocene age. Palaeosols intercalated in the aeolian sequences and their OSL chronology show that the climate of the Hunshandake was much wetter than today between 9.6 ka and 3 ka. This resulted in stabilization of the dunes in the eastern and central portions of the Sandy Land. Epochs of reworking or stabilization of the dunes are broadly consistent with the fluctuations in northern hemisphere solar radiation although with an obvious time lag. Because the increase rate of annual precipitation was not sufficient to fully stabilize the dunes in more arid part of the region, some active dunes persisted even during this long-lasting wetter epoch. We conclude that periods of Holocene dune stabilization due to palaeosol formation varied along the climate gradients across the various sandy lands of northern China, and in general it began earlier and lasted longer in the east than in the west. The general nature of the sandy lands and their counterparts in the western portion of the desert belt during the LGM and mid-Holocene climate optimum is discussed in comparison with their current states.

Adverse Effect of Planting pine on coastal dunes, Korea

Choi K.H., Kim, Y.M., and Jung, P.M., 2013. Adverse effect of planting pine on coastal dunes, Korea.Forestation on the coastal dunes has been regarded as one of the best programs that help to stabilize the dune landscapes and protect the residential area from strong winds, blown sands, and salt spray. Introducing exotic species for dune stabilization was very common in the past. However, it could deprive coastal land of its ability to naturally recover, causing a retreat of coastline as well. As a typhoon passed through the Korean Peninsula early September in 2010, coastal dunes along the west coast of the peninsula were severely damaged during the storm. Some dunes retreated landward more after erosion, while others recovered their original profile through aeolian transport processes mainly in winter season. Vegetated dunes with pine trees recovered relatively less after the erosion than grass-covered dunes. Planting pine trees may interfere in these interactions, weakening natural recuperative power. We compared the characteristics of wind environment, morphology, and vegetation between the grass-covered dunes and the dunes covered with pine trees, for the purpose of the effectiveness of planting trees on dunes. The pine forest decreases the wind velocity on the front side of the dune to less than 50% of the grass-covered dune. Especially, the velocity of the strong winds faster than 4.5 m/s diminished to 25% of the control sites, resulting in decreased blown sand supply. Flora is also changed in the forested area. Terrestrial plants have invaded after pines were planted. In contrast, natural flora gets disappeared after the introduction of alien and exotic species. This study suggests that planting tree is likely to lead negative impact on coastal dunes. It may result in a retreat of coastline, loss of land, and devastation of dune ecosystems.

Adverse Effect of Planting pine on coastal dunes, Korea

Choi K.H., Kim, Y.M., and Jung, P.M., 2013. Adverse effect of planting pine on coastal dunes, Korea.Forestation on the coastal dunes has been regarded as one of the best programs that help to stabilize the dune landscapes and protect the residential area from strong winds, blown sands, and salt spray. Introducing exotic species for dune stabilization was very common in the past. However, it could deprive coastal land of its ability to naturally recover, causing a retreat of coastline as well. As a typhoon passed through the Korean Peninsula early September in 2010, coastal dunes along the west coast of the peninsula were severely damaged during the storm. Some dunes retreated landward more after erosion, while others recovered their original profile through aeolian transport processes mainly in winter season. Vegetated dunes with pine trees recovered relatively less after the erosion than grass-covered dunes. Planting pine trees may interfere in these interactions, weakening natural recuperative power. We compared the characteristics of wind environment, morphology, and vegetation between the grass-covered dunes and the dunes covered with pine trees, for the purpose of the effectiveness of planting trees on dunes. The pine forest decreases the wind velocity on the front side of the dune to less than 50% of the grass-covered dune. Especially, the velocity of the strong winds faster than 4.5 m/s diminished to 25% of the control sites, resulting in decreased blown sand supply. Flora is also changed in the forested area. Terrestrial plants have invaded after pines were planted. In contrast, natural flora gets disappeared after the introduction of alien and exotic species. This study suggests that planting tree is likely to lead negative impact on coastal dunes. It may result in a retreat of coastline, loss of land, and devastation of dune ecosystems.

Namibian and North American sand-diving lizards

Although similar in physical characteristics, dune ecosystems of the Namibian and North American Deserts have distinctive geological ages, regional climates and microenvironments. Specialist sand-diving lizards have evolved in each system albeit at different tempos and modes of speciation. Meroles anchietae (Lacertidae), and Gerrhosaurus skoogi (Gerrhosauridae) of the Namib Desert, and six taxa of Uma (Phrynosomatidae) inhabiting isolated dune systems across the North American Deserts have separately evolved convergent external morphologies, but differ in body mass, reproductive cycles, number and size of progeny, metabolic physiology and behavior. All are omnivores consuming variable proportions of vegetation including seeds along with insects that are part of detritus-based food webs. Populations of M. anchietae and Uma undergo dramatic density changes depending on annual surpluses or deficits of energy and water, mediated through unpredictable rainfall and prey availability. Unlike Namib lizards, which inhabit large contiguous dune landscapes, several species of Uma are seriously threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation from development and recreational activities. Harsh conditions common to all desert dune environments present similar challenges to species that live there, but differences in their age, climate and geographic extent offer exceptional opportunities for understanding evolution and ecosystem structure and function.

The impact of habitat fragmentation on the interaction betweenCentaurium erythraea(Gentianaceae) and its specialized seed predatorStenoptilia zophodactylus(Pterophoridae, Lepidoptera)

AbstractHabitat fragmentation can affect plant population characteristics and plant traits, which in turn can change biotic interactions, such as plant–insect interactions. Because of this, habitat fragmentation can affect reproductive success and survival of both the plant and seed predators, especially when the predator is rare and specialized. This study focuses on the level of fruit predation inCentaurium erythraeaby its specific seed predator, the plume mothStenoptilia zophodactylus, in a fragmented coastal dune landscape. To investigate the consequences of habitat fragmentation, we assessed the effect of population and plant characteristics of 25C. erythraeapopulations on fruit predation byS. zophodactylus. Although the distribution of this specialized predator is poorly documented, our results show thatS. zophodactylusoccurred frequently in most of the studiedC. erythraeapopulations. We found a strong correlation between the spatial isolation of the host plant and the level of fruit predation, with low predation in isolated populations, most likely due to the limited dispersion capacity of the plume moth.C. erythraeaindividuals experienced a higher risk of fruit predation when showing a large floral display size, presumably because they are more attractive. However, at fruit level, the risk of predation decreases with increasing floral display at individual plant level, representing a sort of dilution effect. Our findings indicate that maintaining and restoring large, dense and rather connected populations ofC. erythraeawill be beneficial for the sustainable conservation of the rare specialist seed predatorS. zophodactylus, without increasing the predation pressure on the host plant.

Landscape Dynamics Determine the Small-Scale Genetic Structure of an Endangered Dune Slack Plant Species

Bonte, D.; Breyne, P.; Brys, R.; de la Peña, E.; D'hondt, B.; Ghyselen, C.; Vandegehuchte, M.L., and Hoffmann, M., 2012. Landscape dynamics determine the small-scale genetic structure of an endangered dune slack plant species. Understanding the processes that determine genetic variation within landscapes is a crucial factor for successful management of threatened plant species that are sensitive to both environmental and genetic bottlenecks. While current insights point to the importance of historical landscape processes for the genetic structure of populations at large spatial scales, their relevance at small spatial scales has been largely neglected. In this context, coastal dunes are a typical example of dynamic and geologically young landscapes in which current and historical sand drift may have strong impacts on the spatial dynamics of a large number of plant species. One of these is the endangered plant species Parnassia palustris, typically inhabiting dune slacks formed by recent sand displacements in parabolic dune landscapes. Dune slacks originating from the same sand drift process are located within the same parabola unit. The species is known to suffer from dispersal limitation and from inbreeding when genetic exchange between populations is restricted. By means of amplified fragment length polymorphism, we demonstrate that the species shows a genetic substructuring both at the level of the metapopulation and the local landscape. Populations located within the same parabola unit are much more closely related than expected on the basis of geographic distance. Moreover, population size is related to genetic diversity within populations. The species' population genetic structure should consequently be regarded as a shifting mosaic of genetic variation, mediated by sand drift driven landscape formation. Therefore, the maintenance of sand dynamics is essential to preserve genetic diversity in dynamic dune landscapes.

The distribution, abundance, and environmental affinities of the endemic vascular plant taxa of the Athabasca Sand Dunes of northern Saskatchewan

The Athabasca Sand Dunes in northern Saskatchewan are a unique landscape characterized by large areas of active sand dunes. The dunes are of high conservation value as they support 10 endemic vascular plant taxa, including 9 sand dune specialists: Achillea millefolium var. megacephala, Armeria maritima ssp. interior, Deschampsia mackenzieana, Salix brachycarpa var. psammophila, Salix silicicola, Salix turnorii, Salix tyrrellii, Stellaria arenicola, and Tanacetum huronense var. floccosum. This paper describes the patterns of distribution, abundance, and environmental affinity of the Athabasca endemic flora and assesses the implications of these patterns for the conservation status of the species. Extensive field surveys found large populations of Deschampsia mackenzieana, Salix brachycarpa, Salix silicicola, Salix turnorii, Salix tyrrellii, Stellaria arenicola, and Tanacetum huronense. With the exception of S. brachycarpa the abundant species were widely distributed across the dune landscape. Two species, Achillea millefolium and Armeria maritima, had relatively small populations that were concentrated in limited environments within the dune landscape (wet dune slack and gravel pavements respectively). Few immediate external threats were observed, and flowering, seed set, and seedling establishment were observed for all taxa. The small populations and limited environmental breadth of Achillea millefolium and Armeria maritima indicate that the conservation status of these species should be re-examined.