ISSN 1393 – 6670 Monitoring survey of Annex I sand dune habitats in Ireland Irish Wildlife Manuals No. 75 Monitoring survey of Annex I sand dune habitats in Ireland A. Delaney, F.M. Devaney, J.R. Martin, S.J. Barron Citation: Delaney, A., Devaney, F.M, Martin, J.M. and Barron, S.J. (2013). Monitoring survey of Annex I sand dune habitats in Ireland. Irish Wildlife Manuals, No. 75. National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dublin, Ireland. Keywords: Sand dunes, Ireland, coastal, monitoring, assessment, Habitats Directive, structure and functions, conservation status Site list: 000020, Black Head-Poulsallagh Complex SAC; 000091, Clonakilty Bay SAC; 000147, Horn Head and Rinclevan SAC; 000164, Lough Nagreany Dunes SAC; 000190, Slieve Tooey/Tormore Island/Loughros Beg Bay SAC; 000194, Tranarossan and Melmore Lough SAC; 000197, West of Ardara/Maas Road SAC; 000199, Baldoyle Bay SAC; 000206, North Dublin Bay SAC; 000332, Akeragh, Banna and Barrow Harbour SAC; 000343, Castlemaine Harbour SAC; 000370, Lough Yganavan and Lough Nambrackdarraig SAC; 000458, Killala Bay/Moy Estuary SAC; 000470, Mullet/Blacksod Bay Complex SAC; 000500, Glenamoy Bog Complex SAC; 000622, Ballysadare Bay SAC; 000627, Cummeen Strand/Drumcliff Bay (Sligo Bay) SAC; 000671, Tramore Dunes and Backstrand SAC; 000696, Ballyteige Burrow SAC; 000697 Bannow Bay SAC; 000700, Cahore Polders and Dunes SAC; 000710, Raven Point Nature Reserve SAC; 000729 Buckroney-Brittas Dunes and Fen SAC; 001040, Barley Cove to Ballyrisode Point SAC; 001061, Kilkieran Lake and Castlefreke Dunes SAC; 001090, Ballyness Bay SAC; 001141, Gweedore Bay and Islands SAC; 001257, Dog’s Bay SAC; 001309, Omey Island Machair SAC; 001932, Mweelrea/Sheeffry/Erriff Complex SAC; 001957, Boyne Coast and Estuary SAC; 002012, North Inishowen Coast SAC; 002070, Tralee Bay and Magherees Peninsula, West to Cloghane SAC; 002074, Slyne Head Peninsula SAC Cover photo: Dunes at Banna Strand, Co. Kerry © Aoife Delaney The NPWS Project Officer for this report was: Karen Gaynor; [email protected] Irish Wildlife Manuals Series Editors: R. Jeffrey and F. Marnell © National Parks and Wildlife Service 2013 Sand dunes monitoring survey – BEC Consultants Ltd. 2013 ____________________________ Contents Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................1 Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................................2 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................3 1.1 The Habitats Directive..............................................................................................................3 1.2 Rationale and context of the project ...............................................................................................3 1.3 Assessment of Annex I habitats ...............................................................................................4 1.4 Annex I sand dune habitats in Ireland ....................................................................................5 1.4.1 1210 Annual vegetation of drift lines ..................................................................................7 1.4.2 1220 Perennial vegetation of stony banks ...........................................................................8 1.4.3 2110 Embryonic shifting dunes ...........................................................................................9 1.4.4 2120 Shifting dunes along the shoreline with Ammophila arenaria (white dunes).........9 1.4.5 *2130 Fixed coastal dunes with herbaceous vegetation (grey dunes) ............................. 10 1.4.6 *2140 Decalcified fixed dunes with Empetrum nigrum ................................................... 11 1.4.7 *2150 Atlantic decalcified fixed dunes (Calluno-Ulicetea) .............................................. 11 1.4.8 2170 Dunes with Salix repens ssp. argentea (Salicion arenariae) .................................... 12 1.4.9 2190 Humid dune slacks .................................................................................................... 13 1.4.10 *21A0 Machairs .............................................................................................................. 14 1.5 Nomenclature of the Annex I habitats .................................................................................. 15 2 Methodology .................................................................................................................................... 16 2.1 Site Selection ........................................................................................................................... 16 2.2 Equipment............................................................................................................................... 18 2.3 Area ......................................................................................................................................... 18 2.3.1 Field survey ........................................................................................................................ 18 2.3.2 Digitisation ......................................................................................................................... 20 2.3.3 Calculating change in area ................................................................................................. 21 2.4 Structure and Functions ......................................................................................................... 22 2.4.1 Site-based assessment ........................................................................................................ 22 2.4.2 Habitat-based assessment .................................................................................................. 27 2.5 Future Prospects ..................................................................................................................... 28 2.6 Conservation Assessment ...................................................................................................... 30 3 Results .............................................................................................................................................. 31 3.1 1210 Annual vegetation of drift lines .................................................................................... 31 3.1.1 Area and distribution ......................................................................................................... 31 3.1.2 Structure and Functions ..................................................................................................... 33 Sand dunes monitoring survey – BEC Consultants Ltd. 2013 ____________________________ 3.1.3 Future prospects ................................................................................................................. 35 3.1.4 Conservation assessment ................................................................................................... 37 3.2 1220 Perennial vegetation of stony banks ............................................................................. 39 3.2.1 Area and distribution ......................................................................................................... 39 3.2.2 Structure and Functions ..................................................................................................... 40 3.2.3 Future prospects ................................................................................................................. 42 3.2.4 Conservation assessment ................................................................................................... 44 3.3 2110 Embryonic shifting dunes ............................................................................................. 46 3.3.1 Area and distribution ......................................................................................................... 46 3.3.2 Structure and Functions ..................................................................................................... 48 3.3.3 Future Prospects ................................................................................................................. 50 3.3.4 Conservation assessment ................................................................................................... 51 3.4 2120 Marram dunes (white dunes) ........................................................................................ 53 3.4.1 Area and distribution ......................................................................................................... 53 3.4.2 Structure and Functions ..................................................................................................... 55 3.4.3 Future Prospects ................................................................................................................. 57 3.4.4 Conservation assessment ................................................................................................... 59 3.5 *2130 Fixed dunes (grey dunes) ............................................................................................. 61 3.5.1 Area and distribution ......................................................................................................... 61 3.5.2 Structure and Functions ....................................................................................................