Beach management and restoration compromises its biodiversity conservation

Female Kentish Plover and her nest among sea remains. M.A. Gómez
Female Kentish Plover and her nest among sea remains. M.A. Gómez
Coastal ecosystems, particularly dunes and beaches, are facing up growing threats as a result of urbanization, climate change and restauration and management practices alien and unaware of the ecological needs of the species. Two studies of the Universitat de Valčncia (UV) affirm the importance of reorienting coastal management policies to the protection of those species that depend on open dune habitats and natural remains deposited by the sea on the beaches

Both studies, directed by Miguel Éngel Gómez-Serrano (Department of Microbiology and Ecology of the UV) and published in the journals Nature Ecology & Evolution y Trends in Ecology & Evolution , describe the process by which certain activities could be damaging coastal biodiversity, while they make an appeal to reconsider the current dune restauration strategies. They also raise awareness on the management of sea remains, in other words, the natural and anthropogenic materials that are deposited in the shores by the swell.

In his first study, Dune restoration must consider species that need open and early successional dune habitats , Gómez-Serrano warns that traditional practices on dune restauration are endangering species who depend on open habitats and early succession. According to the article, this habitats, that are crucial for many species of coastal plants and birds, are being afflicted by dune restauration projects, that tend to reduce the ecological heterogeneity of these ecosystems.

Beaches and its dunes are dynamic habitats that harbour a unique diversity adapted to changing conditions. "Although current interventions can be beneficial for preventing erosion an protecting coasts from flooding, they are harmful for species that need open areas to nest or eat. Nowadays, dune restauration programmes are more oriented towards vegetal repopulation of the dunes than to the birds who inhabit them", the scientific laments. "Littoral birds, as Kentish Plovers, need open areas with little vegetation to nest, so that they can detect predators quickly while they are brooding. The rise of vegetation cover on dunes reduces their capacity to do it, so it also reduces their chance of survival", he adds.

The scientific article also wants to put the aim at the additional pressure that factors as the climate change and the generalised littoral urbanization mean to these species. "The rise of the sea level and the coastal erosion endanger the future of these habitats, preventing the natural dune migration of the dunes towards the interior and creating a coastal compression situation that restricts even more the available space for biodiversity", Miguel Éngel Gómez-Serrano explains.

In this context, the study alerts about the urgent necessity of reconsidering the current restauration practices in order to avoid a major degradation of dune ecosystems. "The measures that benefit the stabilisation of the dunes, as the reforestation and the enclosing of high vegetation density, may be counter-productive in places where dynamic habitats are essential for biodiversity", the author of the research insists.

Biodiversity conservation on the beaches depends on the management of sea remains

In his second study, Improving beach natural debris management for biodiversity conservation , Gómez-Serrano highlights the importance of the natural waste that the sea deposits in the beaches, such as algae, drift wood or remains of marine animals. The sea remains are, according to the research, fundamental for the process of dispersion of littoral plants, for sustaining the beach’s food chain, for contributing to de stabilization of sandy soil, and, after all, conditions the success of the birds who nest in the beaches. However, according to the article, current beach-cleaning, methods that use heavy machinery, not only eliminate anthropogenic waste, such as plastic or human garbage, but also the organic material that is vital for the ecosystem."Beach-cleaning methods that use heavy machinery may destroy the nests of the birds that nest directly on the sand, as in the case of the Kentish Plover. Moreover, this cleaning damages the habitat that Kentish Plovers uses to nest and reduces drastically its food, given that adults and chicks of this species depend on the invertebrate animals associated with these natural remains", the scientific details.

Head to a sustainable management of beaches and dunes

Both studies agree on the urgency of changing beach management strategies, taking into account not only esthetic and recreational but also the ecological processes that support biodiversity. They also urge the governments and local authorities to implement more strict regulations on preservation and management of beaches’ natural waste, and related to the promotion of dune restauration projects that include conservation objectives for the species that depend on dynamic and open habitats. The article proposes to differentiate between natural beaches and urban beaches when it comes to the management of their sea remains. It also suggests a more severe legislative landscape in the conservation of these ecosystems. "The recent approval of the Law of Nature Restoration by the European Parliament brings a new opportunity to improve in the future", the author concludes.

References:

Gómez-Serrano, M. A. 2024. Dune restoration must consider species that need open and early successional dune habitats. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 8, 1201-1202.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559­’024 -02441-5

Gómez-Serrano, M. A. 2024. Improving beach natural debris management for biodiversity conservation.Trends in Ecology & Evolution.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2­024.09.012