LIFE12 NAT/DK/001073 Progress Report Covering the project activities from 30/03/2017 to 30/09/2018 30/09/2018 LIFE+ REDCOHA Restoration of Danish Coastal Habitats Data Project Project location Denmark 1 Ejstrup Klit (pSCI: DK00FX274) 2 Bulbjerg og Vejlerne (SPA: DK00FX008, DK00EY012, DK00EY013, DK00EX019, DK00EX020; pSCI: DK00EY124) 3 Hanstholmknuden (PSCI: DK00EX283) 4 Hanstholm Reservatet (SPA: DK00EX022; pSCI: DK00EX130) 5 Vangså Hede (SPA: DK00EX025; pSCI: DK00EX025) 6 Ålvand (SPA: DK00EX017; pSCI: DK00EX017) 7 Lyngby Klitheder (pSCI: DK00EX265) 8 Agger Tange (SPA: DK00EX023, DK00EY027, DK00CX028; pSCI: DK00EY133) 9 Harboøre Tange (SPA: DK00CY039) 10 Nissum Fjord (SPA: DK00CX038; pSCI: DK00CX160) 11 Husby Klit (pSCI: DK00CX278) 12 Nymindestrømmen (SPA: DK00CX043; pSCI: DK00CY163) 13 Lyngbos Hede (pSCI: DK00AX173) 14 Kallesmærsk Hede (SPA: DK00AX056, DK00AX050; pSCI: DK00AX173) 15 Fanø (SPA: DK00AX049, DK00AX051, DK00AC052, DK00AX053, DK00AC055, DK00AY057, DK009X060, DK009X065; pSCI: DK00AY176) Project start date: 01/08/2013 Project end date: 31/07/2018 Extension date: 31/07/2019 Total budget € 2,845,912 EC contribution: € 1,422,956 (%) of eligible costs 50 Data Beneficiary Name Beneficiary Danish Nature Agency (Naturstyrelsen) Contact person Mr Uffe Strandby Postal address Gl. Landevej 35, 7620 Lemvig Telephone +45 72543000 (+45 72543522) Fax: +45 97820240 E-mail [email protected] Project Website www.nst.dk/saarbarnatur 2 Table of contents. Executive summary .................................................................................................................... 4 General progress ..................................................................................................................... 5 Assessment as to whether the project objectives and work plan are still viable .................... 5 Problems encountered. ........................................................................................................... 5 Administrative part ..................................................................................................................... 6 Technical part ............................................................................................................................. 9 5.1 Action A.1 (Mapping of Rosa rugosa) ......................................................................... 9 5.2 Action A.2 (Hydrological feasibility study) ................................................................. 9 5.3 Action A.3 (Authority treatment) ................................................................................. 9 5.4 Action A.4 (Project engineering of bird islands) ....................................................... 10 5.5 Action A5 (Preparation of applications to the agri-environmental scheme) .............. 10 5.6 Action A6 (Landowner contact and cooperation) ...................................................... 11 5.7 Action A7 (Training of field staff) ............................................................................. 12 5.8 Action C1 (Reduce the distribution of Rosa rugosa in vulnerable habitat types) ...... 12 5.9 Action C2 (Improvement of hydrological conditions) ............................................... 15 5.10 Action C3 (Establishment of bird islands) .............................................................. 17 5.11 Action C4 (Establishment of grazing) ...................................................................... 17 5.12 Action C5 (Reduce the occurrence of IAS in 2140 and 2180) ................................. 18 5.13 Action C6 (Conversion of plantations to coastal dune habitats) .............................. 18 5.14 Action D1 (Monitoring of project impact on habitat types targeted by the project) 19 5.15 Action D2 (Monitoring of impact on species targeted by the project) ..................... 20 5.16 Action D3 (Assessing socio-economic impact of the project actions) .................... 22 5.17 Action E1 (Smartphone and tablet communication platforms) ............................... 22 5.18 Action E2a (Information boards) ............................................................................ 23 5.19 Action E2b (leaflets and posting leaflets) ................................................................ 23 5.20 Action E3 (Public tours) ........................................................................................... 24 5.21 Action E4 (Project website) ..................................................................................... 24 5.22 Action E5 (Layman’s report) ................................................................................... 24 5.23 Action E6 (Final seminar) ........................................................................................ 26 5.24 Action F1 (Project management) ............................................................................. 26 5.25 Action F2 (Audit) ..................................................................................................... 26 5.26 Action F3 (Networking) ........................................................................................... 27 5.27 Action F4 (After LIFE conservation plan) ............................................................... 28 Envisaged progress until next report. ............................................................................... 28 Impact ................................................................................................................................... 36 Outside LIFE ........................................................................................................................ 37 Financial part ............................................................................................................................ 38 Annexes .................................................................................................................................... 40 Deliverables .......................................................................................................................... 40 Complete list of annexes ...................................................................................................... 42 Dissemination materials ....................................................................................................... 42 3 List of key-words and abbreviations NST or DNA: Danish Nature Agency. NST-BLH: Danish Nature Agency, Regional Office, Blåvandshuk. NST-THY: Danish Nature Agency, Regional Office, Thy. NST-VES: Danish Nature Agency, Regional Office, Vendsyssel. NST-VJY: Danish Nature Agency, Regional Office, Vestjylland. THI-MUNI: The municipality of Thisted RING-SKJERN-MUNI: The municipality of Ringkøbing-Skjern Executive summary The present project aims to restore some of Denmark’s large areas of coastal dune habitats before it’s too late. An urgent and comprehensive effort is imperative in order to reverse the trend of deterioration and to achieve a good conservation status of the targeted habitat types. This will be achieved mainly through combating IAS (conifereous species and Japanese Rose) (C1 and C5), conversion of plantations in order to create new habitats (C6). On the species level, this project aims at improving hydrological conditions (C2) and establishes a number of bird islands in order to minimize predation on vulnerable populations of ground nesting birds. The overall objective of the project is to improve the conservation status of the coastal dune habitats: 2120, 2130*, 2140*, 2180 and 2190 and to improve the conditions for a number of species, e.g. Scotch lovage (Ligusticum scothicum), Natterjack toad (Bufo calamita), Sand lizard (Lacerta agilis), Little tern (Sterna albifrons) and Gull-billed tern (Gelochelidon nilotica). The project is in general developing according to the plan. The majority of the concrete conservation actions of the project are well underway. A variety of methods to fight Rosa rugosa have been initiated at both NST areas and private areas (municipalities), 2 small birds islands have been established in site no. 15 (Fanø) and 2 larger bird islands have been established in site no. 9 (Harboøre Tange) in August 2017. Grazing on 27.5 ha NST area was started at int. site no. 15 (Fanø) in January 2018 and THI-MUNI will initiate grazing on approximately 17 ha in int. site no. 4 (Hanstholm Reservatet) during autumn 2018, the area dominated by IAS have been reduced with 246.4 ha on NST areas and 4 ha on private areas (THI-MUNI), 91.3 ha on NST areas and 14.2 ha on private land (THI- MUNI) of plantations consisting of mainly Pinus mugo and Pinus contorta have been cleared with the purpose of converting it to coastal dune habitats. THI-MUNI initiated in spring 2016 in one site (no. 5) a relatively large and systematic project fighting Rosa rugosa – this project includes the application of herbicides. RING- SKJERN-MUNI initiated the fighting of Rosa rugosa during winter 2017/18 also by use of herbicides. The regulatory procedures related to the hydrology actions (C2) have proven more difficult and prolonged than foreseen. Therefore, we have only managed to complete the establishment of new wet habitats encompassing app. 67.6 ha within 7 sites (no.1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13 and 14). However, at NST THY hydrology projects covering app. 170 ha are planned to be conducted during January to March 2019 – the necessary permits are obtained and the project will be put in tender autumn 2018. Furthermore, it has been possible to locate additional potential hydrology areas at NST property