Welcome to the first in a series of newsletters that will keep you updated on the exciting Twyni Byw – Sands of LIFE project.

Sands of LIFE is a major conservation project to revitalise sand dunes across Wales, which runs until December 2022. The project will recreate natural movement in the dunes and rejuvenate habitats, which will help secure a home to some of our rarest wildlife, safeguard our wider environment and enable people to enjoy these biodiversity hotspots.

The project, led by Natural Resources Wales (NRW), will restore over 2400 hectares of sand dunes across four Special Areas of Conservation, on 10 separate Welsh sites: Tywyn Aberffraw, Newborough, Morfa Dinlle, Morfa Harlech, Morfa Dyffryn, Laugharne - Pendine Burrows, Whiteford Burrows, Pembrey Coast, Kenfig and Merthyr Mawr.

The Sands of LIFE project started in September 2018. The early months were all about giving the project a solid platform to build upon, including recruiting and training the team.

Connecting with site officers, landowners, site managers and other partners crucial to practical delivery began with a workshop for members of the Welsh Sand Dune Working Group. Project staff have since been busy planning the work programme and continuing to build relationships with owners and land managers.

At the end of June, Sands of LIFE hosted the ‘Sustaining Mobile Sand Dunes’ International Workshop at Bridgend, attended by sand dune experts from across northern Europe to discuss all aspects of sand dune management. The event included site visits to both Kenfig and Merthyr Mawr – with our guests particularly impressed with the stunning wildlife and recent works to re-mobilise the fore-dunes.

The workshop allowed us to bounce exciting ideas off one another, share our knowledge and pick up some crucial tips on sand dune management.

Thanks to LIFE funding, we have been able to carry out important ecological and physical monitoring of sand dunes on a scale not normally seen in Wales. JBA Consulting have been contracted to carry out the work. Importantly, they have been carrying out a complete vegetation survey of the dunes – the first since the 1980s.

Other ‘before and after’ surveys of invertebrates, plants and soils will track the impact of the project. Aerial flights will produce 3-D LiDAR images of the dunes and water levels will be assessed. Locations of protected species like sand lizard and great crested newts are being recorded to ensure any project work doesn’t cause them harm.

“But what next?” I hear you ask. Well, planning is underway for the first phase of practical work over the autumn and winter months. This will include mowing to improve dune grassland (five sites), removal of scrub (six sites), fencing (two sites) and reprofiling of sand dunes to allow natural sand movement (three sites).

We’ll be keeping you up to date on our progress in future editions of the Sands of LIFE newsletter.

The Sands of LIFE team is led by Project Manager Kathryn Hewitt. Two Project & Monitoring Officers, Leigh Denyer and Laura Bowen, look after North and South Wales. Communications & Interpretation is led  by Danny Wyn Griffith, while Finance & Administration is managed by Diane Farmery and supported by Rachel Davies.

Two Project Site Assistants, one North and one South Wales, are currently being recruited.

The team will work closely with site officers and reserve managers to deliver practical work on the ground. 

Head over to our new website for all the latest news about the project and information on results and findings. Or why not follow us on social media? Our Twitter, Instagram and Facebook feeds will be updated regularly, providing sneak peaks of the weekly progress, outstanding dune related photos and short interview snippets.

Email: SoLIFE@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk

Website: naturalresources.wales/SandsofLIFE

Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @TwyniByw

SoLIFE: LIFE 17 NAT/UK/000023

The Twyni Byw-Sands of LIFE project has received funding from the LIFE Programme of the European Union. Part funded by Welsh Government.