Keywords:
onshore barrier dunes
coastal erosion
sand drift
summer houses
levelling

Contact: F. Jensen. The Forest District of Northern Jutland. Sct Laurentiivej 150. DK 9990 Skagen. Denmark. Email: frj@sns.dk

Location: Atlantic region, Denmark, Northern Jutland

Northern Jutland dunes
Most of Jutlands North Sea coastline consists of dunes with a variety of dune types. The foredunes are extremely exposed and can easily be eroded by the waves. Foredunes develop into white dunes covered with marram grass (Ammophila). Many dune complexed have been stablilised with conifer plantations in in earlier decades to counteract devastating sand drift. At present main threats to the ecological environment of the dunes include coastal erosion, spread of conifers, coastal protection works, recreation and tourism (summer houses).

Furreby dunes
The Furreby dunes are a large privately owned dune area suffering from extensive coastal erosion for many decades already. During the the 2nd World War many coastal protection works were built in the dunes, but today most of these are down on the beach.
Partly as a result of the erosion and the absence of conifer plantations mobile dunes are moving eastward threatening summer houses that have been built in and right behind the dunes. Without human interference mobile dunes would already have covered the summerhouses with sand.

Management
In 1992 the Nature Protection Act was established. Aims of this Act are to protect and improve nature values and at the same time still ensure free access (on foot) and possibilities for outdoor activities but also fight devastating sand drift.
In Furreby owners of summer houses have repeatedly tried to persuade the authorities to erect coastal protection works to compensate for the coastal erosion. For years the State Forest District has tried to catch the sand as far west as possible with traditional dune stabilisation works like levelling of dune edges, planting of marram grass and pine branches. The area was fenced off for the public to give the vegetation a better chance. As a result the dune grew higher and steeper and became more and more unstable.
In 1998 the dune had grown so steep that traditional stabilisation works had to be given up. But because it was considered unacceptable to leave the summer houses to be covered with sand, it was decided to take the top off the dune, so a plateau would be created which could be stabilised with marram grass and pine branches. So over one third of the area the top (up to 6-7 m) of the dune was pushed down towards the beach. This sand is now lying against the old dune.

Results
The project has developed as expected. The upcoming sand has been caught over 2 to 3 m in the western side of the plateau and the summer houses have only received minor amounts of sand. The project has a noticeable landscape effect and is controversial with some opposition hence the further development of the project will be considered to be an unusual sand drift precaution and therefore is granted an exemption.
Dune management in Denmark rests upon generations of experience. It is important to balance protection and utilisation of the dune area, but managers are confronted with the people who are living in and around the dunes. Public information is key to make local people and visitors understand the importance of the management work.

Location of Furreby Dunes

References