Describe the ways in which people affect sand dune ecosystems and the methods that are used to reduce the impacts caused.

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Describe the ways in which people affect sand dune ecosystems and the methods that are used to reduce the impacts caused.

Sand dune ecosystems are very delicate and as a result, very susceptible to human interference. However, not all human activity has a direct impact on the sand dunes, as some human activities do not damage the dunes themselves but weaken the existing protection leaving them exposed to natural forces of wind and water, which damage the ecosystem.

Sand dunes form along coastal stretches mainly concentrated in western Ireland, the Western Isles, and the east coast of Scotland, Wales and the north coast of south-west England and north-east England, however there are a few sand dune complexes along the south coast. They are formed when combinations of tidal patterns, waves and wind action cause silt and sand to build up and form beaches and dunes. These areas are marshy, helping sustain plant life. Their coastal position leaves them highly vulnerable to damage from the sea and wind as the embryo dunes that form close to the sea are easy to shift given they are made of lose sand which has just been blown by the wind. As a result of the conditions in such proximity to the sea, for instance the lack of organic matter, the pH and the exposure to the wind, plants do not grow readily on the dunes and do not bind the sand together so the dunes remain lose and easily shift-able by wind, water and traffic. Some species such as sand couch grass can tolerate these conditions and establish themselves and the dunes. Dunes such as these grow and stabilise to become fore dunes. These two communities are often only temporary as they are easily destroyed by severe storms, high tides and by visitors trampling them.

Sand further away from the sea is more willingly colonised by plants as the sand shifts less and the wind is not as harsh. These are ideal for marram grass to grow and the addition of this plant which its extensive network of roots, helps stabilise the dunes further.  They are still mobile and the organic matter content of the sand is still barely sufficient to sustain anything other than marram and is still yellow in appearance, hence the name associated with these dunes - mobile yellow dunes.  The mobile yellow dunes grow and become more stabilised by the progressive colonisation of different types of plant (the organic matter content increases as marram dies and decays), the species becoming more varied as soil conditions of the dunes improves further inland. Older dunes are known as grey dunes and these are much more stable than the yellow dunes and can sustain a wide variety of plants and animals. The most mature dunes furthest away from the sea are known as the climax community.  The soil contains a lot of organic matter and is not as NaCl rich as the sand nearer the sea, enabling more species to grow in the soil conditions.  The various types of dune and the communities they sustain are attractive to both wildlife and humans, but this is rarely beneficial to the dune ecosystem.

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  The shape of sand dunes, the open space they provide and the wildlife they support make the ecosystem an attractive place for humans to indulge in recreational activities such as visiting the beach and swimming, walking, pony-trekking, trail biking, bird watching, picnicking and kite-flying.  Other human activities also affect the dune ecosystems.  These include afforestation, intensive farming, reduction of sediment supply, tipping of domestic waste, reclamation for industry and the development of adjacent areas.  Different activities cause different problems and kinds of damage to different parts of the dune ecosystem, for instance visitors to the beach who come to ...

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