Climate change, and the human responses to it, represents a serious threat to the natural environment. While the impacts of climate change are now well recognised for biodiversity, little attention has been given to the effects on geodiversity and its conservation. Set in the context of current projections for climate change in the UK, this paper examines some of the likely impacts of climate change, and the human responses to it, on a wide range of geodiversity features and sites. It identifies the conservation management challenges that are likely to arise, proposes responses to these challenges and highlights areas where more evidence is required in order to inform the decision-making and management responses that will be needed. It suggests that all types of geodiversity site will be impacted to some extent by changes in active processes. Sites located on the coast, adjacent to rivers or on active slopes, and the associated geomorphological processes, are most likely to experience the greatest changes, particularly from sea-level rise, increased erosion or flooding. The human responses to these changes, in the form of ‘hard’ coastal protection or river and slope engineering are, however, likely to have the greatest impact on geodiversity. Whilst climate change will pose many challenges to the conservation of geodiversity, it will also generate new opportunities. Principles and guidance to facilitate the management of geodiversity in a changing climate are now required to inform wider adaptation strategies that address the needs of geodiversity alongside those of biodiversity and society more widely.

Conserving Geodiversity Sites in a Changing Climate: Management Challenges and Responses

Welsh coastal dune systems have become increasingly vegetated in recent decades. Several rare species of plants and invertebrates have declined dramatically in abundance, and in some areas lost entirely. Of the ten dune habitats and species recognized as being features of European importance within the Welsh Natura 2000 sites, nine are currently in Unfavourable condition on at least one site. The decline in active aeolian processes has also reduced the geomorphological interest of the sites, several of which were designated as Geological Conservation Review sites principally on the basis of their physical processes and landforms. The decline in bare sand area between the 1940-50s and 2009 has been quantified at twelve Welsh dune sites using aerial photography and GIS. The decline ranged from 41 % at Gronant Dunes and Talacre Warren to 97 % at Kenfig Burrows, with an average of 81 %. Morfa Dyffryn had the highest remaining percentage of bare sand in 2009 (20 %), with 30–40 % coverage of mobile dune and pioneer communities, while seven sites had < 5 % bare sand. Dune stabilization over the past 60 years has been favoured by a number of factors, including less windy conditions, higher temperatures and longer growing season, increased atmospheric nitrogen deposition, a reduction in grazing intensity, and dune management policies aimed at controlling mobile sand. Climate change projections suggest that, in the next 50 to 100 years, Wales and adjoining areas are likely to experience higher temperatures and higher rainfall, especially in winter, and a further slight reduction in wind speeds. Without intervention, dune and dune slack habitats are likely to be increasingly replaced by fixed dune grassland and scrub, resulting in the extinction of rare plants, invertebrates and other species which require open, mobile conditions. Several intervention options exist, ranging in scale and potential impact. Increased livestock grazing, re-introduction of rabbits, scrub clearance, turf stripping and the creation of shallow ‘scrapes’ can be beneficial but will not by themselves create self-sustaining mobile dunes. In order to have any chance of achieving any significant impact, larger-scale intervention measures, involving large-scale vegetation removal and sand-re-profiling, will be required. At least in the short-term, maintenance measures will be required to prevent vegetation re-growth, and the challenge will be to encourage the development of mobile dune features which will be naturally mobile in the medium to longer term.

Coastal dune stabilization in Wales and requirements for rejuvenation

Geosynthetics for waterways and flood protection structures – Controlling the interaction of water and soil

Geoconservation includes the protection of geoheritage features and geosites and the application of geoconservation principles more generally in the sustainable management of protected areas and in the wider landscape. This article reviews: 1) geoconservation principles and objectives for geosite management planning; and 2) the wider relevance of geoconservation and how the application of geoconservation principles across the full range of IUCN protected area management categories, UNESCO Global Geoparks and Biosphere Reserves, World Heritage sites, Ramsar sites and marine protected areas would benefit conservation of biodiversity and geodiversity and support wider nature conservation objectives, including climate change adaptation, connecting people and nature and sustainable development. In particular, the concepts of ‘nature and people’ and ‘conserving nature's stage’ provide opportunities for developing more holistic approaches to nature conservation.

Geoconservation principles and protected area management

http://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/175009/1/Alcalde_et_al_2018.pdf

Alan Brampton

Papers

A Guide to Managing Coastal Erosion in Beach/Dune Systems