June 25th is the first World Sand Dune Day
World Sand Dune Day has been established by Dynamic Dunescapes and Sands of LIFE, two ambitious conservation projects working to restore coastal sand dune habitats in England and Wales.
The two projects, along with several other conservation projects, community groups and sand dune sites in the UK and Ireland, will be hosting a range of free public events on June 25th. These include guided nature and photography walks, art and wood carving workshops, and dune yoga and tai-chi sessions.
Dynamic Dunescapes Project Manager, Natural England, Verity Pitts, said: “We’re proud that Dynamic Dunescapes has jointly created World Sand Dune Day. It is a fantastic opportunity to connect local communities with their beautiful coastal landscapes and to shine a light on the work that is being done to restore these spaces for wildlife and for people. From litter-picks and citizen science bioblitzes, to wildlife walks and mindfulness sessions, we’re excited that the first-ever World Sand Dune Day will be a busy one and look forward to the day growing in the coming years.”
Natural England is the lead partner in the Dynamic Dunescapes project. Tony Juniper, Natural England Chair, will be attending at Penhale Dunes in Cornwall, where the Dynamic Dunescapes project work is led by Cornwall Wildlife Trust. Penhale Dunes will be the site of a 24-hour citizen science bioblitz, starting at 12:00pm on World Sand Dune Day.
Natural England chair, Tony Juniper, said: “World Sand Dune Day is about celebrating these incredible habitats and the diversity of life that they – when healthy – can support. It’s also about getting people into the dunes to connect with nature, to love their local coastal spaces, and to learn more about these habitats by becoming volunteers, or citizen scientists. The 24-hour World Sand Dune Day Citizen Science Bioblitz will help gather important data to help conservationists better understand and better manage the site for nature.”
For more information about the events taking place, please visit the Dynamic Dunescapes website or the projects’ twitter or Facebook pages, @DynamicDunes and @TwyniByw.