COASTAL DUNE MANAGEMENT

1 ICOASTAL DUNE MANAGEMENTA Manual of COASTAL DuneManagement andRehabilitation TechniquesN S W D e p a r t m e n t o f L a n d a n d W a t e r C o n s e r v a t i o niiCOASTAL DUNE MANAGEMENTA Manual of COASTAL DuneManagement andRehabilitation TechniquesPrepared byRod KiddCoastal Unit, Ecosystems BranchNSW Department of Land and water ConservationThis publication should be cited as:NSW Department of Land and water Conservation 2001, COASTAL Dune MANAGEMENT : A Manualof COASTAL Dune MANAGEMENT and Rehabilitation Techniques, COASTAL Unit, DLWC, NewcastleOctober 2001 NSW GovernmentISBN 0 7347 5202 4iiiCONTENTSList of AND THE COASTAL , ecosystems and References and further AND PEOPLE: PLANNING FOR WORKING ON THE beach users and conflicting and beach the the Land consultation and with other plans and a Rehabilitation some specific work or actions are needed?

2 Evaluation and documentation and record and further RECONSTRUCTION AND (rebuilding and reshaping) and and rebuilding with earthmoving and use of of reforming after dune and type and and : Why is it needed? : How many signs? and further are weeds? of and occurring along the Worst Weeds of the NSW Bitou Ground and further and Assessing the plants go where? commonly used for special revegetation Tea References and further of technical terms and abbreviations95viList of figuresChapter 2.

3 Dunes and the COASTAL features of a dynamic beach COASTAL erosion/accretion term beach sediment Bar and Rip Bar and Trough types and sand representation of soil types within a COASTAL dune podsol wind in mean monthly in mean monthly model of dune vegetation - flora and fauna22 Chapter 3. Dunes and People: Planning for working on the Life Saving impacts on project time project plan38 Chapter 4. Dune reconstruction and fence for progressive installation of dune-forming and landward protective of dune wire fence fence mesh fence and rail fence of board and chain board and chain accessway board and chain accessway traffic pedestrian sandstone - conveyor (holey) - - designs65viiLIST OF FIGURES access shelters70 Chapter 5.

4 Bush Bush Bush flower and fruit73 Chapter 6. representation of rehabilitation project geographical range of common dune plants in vegetation succession on COASTAL stock planting and maintenance common dune plants and their Spinifex plantings92viiiAcknowledgementsSince the first COASTAL Dune MANAGEMENT Manual was produced, there has been a huge investment ofresources in rehabilitating NSW COASTAL dunes. Improved techniques have emerged and have beenaccompanied by changing attitudes as communities and government embrace the practicalities of integratedenvironmental MANAGEMENT and Ecologically Sustainable from a range of organisations has been drawn upon freely in compiling this revision of the knowledge and skills of community-based practitioners have also been of great value, as have those ofofficers in other is reflected in the membership of the Advisory Committee that has guided the production of this revisedManual -Maureen Baker & Elizabeth Hood.

5 Eurobodalla Landcare MANAGEMENT CommitteePeter Chapple, CoastcareRus Glover, CoastcareDavid Hanslow, NSW Department of Land and water ConservationRod Kidd, NSW Department of Land and water ConservationJohn King, CoastcareMarita Macrae, Friends of Avalon Beach Dune Care GroupRuth Readford, Ballina Lighthouse Beach Community Dune Care GroupNeil Rendell, NSW Department of Land and water ConservationJeff Thomas, NSW National Parks and Wildlife ServiceLorraine Beal undertook all the graphic design with great skill, enthusiasm and Committee has also been helped greatly by Michael Fiedler, Noel Butler, Melissa Bradbury and PhilHeaton.

6 Many others kindly reviewed various , Ruth Readford died before this Manual could be completed. Ruth was the driving force for DuneCare in New South Wales for approximately ten years, inspiring new groups to form, never hesitating tooffer constructive advice, always welcoming new ideas and sharing experiences with others. This approachculminated with Ruth s establishment of the biennial NSW Dune Care Committee was privileged to have Ruth as a member; we hope this Manual will be another lastingtribute to her commitment to rehabilitating degraded COASTAL dunes and enhancing the broader coastalenvironments of New South New South Wales Coast is blessed with an amazing variety of COASTAL dunes.

7 Over the past severalmillion years quartz sand has accumulated on the continental shelf and been moved landwards intoembayments as a result of sea-level rise and wave and wind action. Some of the most majestic transgressivedunes have marched over old land surfaces forming precipitous ridges comparable to any COASTAL dunes ofthis type in the barriers are often flanked on the seaward side by towering foredunes. These features are moresparsely vegetated than other dunes and represent a delicate balance between forces of wind and wave onthe one hand, and the spread of sand-binding plants on the other.

8 Where disturbed, these dunes becomefree-moving and form extensive mobile sand sheets thus creating a world apparently devoid of 1770 Captain Cook observed bare sand patches and smokes from the fires of Aborigines. Whetherburning helped to destabilise the dunes is unknown. But we do know that over the past 200 years diversehuman activities have disturbed natural dune landforms. Cattle grazing, military exercises, sand mining,and the ever-growing spread of human settlement and traffic impact severely on fragile since the former Soil Conservation Service commenced its experiments, and sand mining companies,local councils and more recently Dune Care/Coastcare groups took an active interest in dune MANAGEMENT ,there have been attempts to overcome abuses of the manual represents a renewed effort by the Department of Land and water Conservation to present anup-to-date document on how we can best manage our dune landscapes.

9 It builds on the many efforts ofpast dune managers and offers the community practical advice on the ways we can care for the plants,animals and topographic features within the dunes of COASTAL is also a tribute to all those marvellous people who freely give their time to look after these landscapes. Inparticular, we recognise the efforts of the late Ruth Readford who provided so many others with the inspirationand support needed to tackle the challenges of COASTAL dune ThomChair,NSW COASTAL Councilx Introduction11. INTRODUCTIOND unes are an integral part of our coastalenvironment.

10 Not only do they provide a reservesupply of sand for use by waves during storms,they are the basis of important ecosystems,supporting valuable communities of plants andanimals. As such they initially provided resourcesand shelter for aboriginal people, generatingcultural values that remain important today. Morediverse activity resulted from European settlement,providing the basis for another set of social , many COASTAL dunes have beendegraded over the years due to residentialdevelopment, grazing, mining and recreationalactivities. The resultant dune instability and sanddrift remains a serious problem along parts of theNew South Wales coast as wind-blown sandcontinues to advance inland, threatening bothnatural and built environments.