Grantee: Sanday Development Trust

Duration:  25 months (August, 2025 – August, 2027) 

 

Background

Scotland’s sand dune habitats are internationally important from an ecological perspective, supporting specialist plant communities and rare invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians and ground nesting birds.
However, threats such as invasive species and over stabilisation due to vegetation degrade these ecosystems, resulting in loss of habitat and a decline in rare species, including sand-mining bees and petalwort.

There is an increasing number of dune restoration projects taking place throughout Scotland (e.g. RSPB at Culbin), with a growing body of dune management guidance and resources (eg Sand Dune Managers Handbook).

The Project

Sanday is an island in Orkney, with extensive sand dune systems along the coast. These dune systems provide critical soft sea defences against the growing threat of rising sea level due to climate change.

Over recent years, these systems have been increasingly degrading due to a combination of factors. Sanday Development Trust, which works to create an economically prosperous and sustainable community, is starting a project aiming to reverse degradation through a variety of approaches.

Management measures will be site specific, ranging from reducing visitor pressure through gates and signage, to re-planting grasses into over grazed areas.

Results from this pilot may inform national coastal erosion mapping, and feed into a larger project incorporating dunes in other areas of Orkney.