Incremento de la cobertura vegetal en las Dunas de Sefton, NO de Inglaterra (Significant increase in vegetation cover in the Sefton Dunes, NW England)

(article in Spanish) The presence of bare sand plays an essential role in the dynamics of coastal dune fields and enhances species diversity. The 20th century has seen a trend towards coastal dune stabilization, which has been associated with recent climatic shifts and/or human impact. This has generated new dynamic restoration managementapproaches that include stripping off the vegetation. Examples in the Netherlands, however, suggest that this technique might not be sustainable as the vegetation tends to re-grow only a few years after the intervention. Hence it is imperative to investigate what are the exact reasons for the growth of vegetation. This work analyses changes in vegetation over the last 60 years at Sefton Dunes, the largest coastal dune field in England, and an area that has lost almost all its bare sand since the 1940s. Results indicate a non-linear relationship between the loss of bare sand and changes in climate variables. This lack of direct relationship could be due to the predominant role of human impact and the evolution of Sefton dunes as a coupled human-natural system.