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Restoration of Danish Coastal Habitats (REDCOHA-LIFE)
Start date: Aug 1, 2013, End date: Jul 31, 2018 PROJECT  FINISHED 

Background The 400 km west coastline of Denmark is home to a threatened area of coastal dune habitats. This area slowly emerges from the sea, as the land is continuing to rise following the last glacial period. This pristine, nutrient-poor land, mainly consisting of sand covered by coastal dune habitats, is probably the most valuable natural resource of Denmark. The costal dune habitats are a mosaic with the most abundant habitat types being well-preserved fixed dunes vegetation and humid dune slacks. These areas are unique, as they represent the only Danish land habitats with an end succession other than forest. The project areas are threatened, however, by a lack of natural dynamic processes and the invasion of coniferous species, the target of an earlier LIFE project (LIFE02 NAT/DK/008584). Other threats include the fragmentation of habitats and loss of breeding and foraging areas for key animals. Even though these issues are being addressed, they constitute long-term potential threats. Objectives The overall objectives of the project include: Improving the conservation status of the coastal dune habitats; Significantly reducing the threats to the plant species: Ligusticum scothicum and Calystegia soldanella; and Improving conditions for the following species: Bufo calamita, Lacerta agilis. Tringa glareola, Recurvirostra avosetta, Sterna albifrons, Gelochelidon nilotica. Euphydryas aurinia, Euphydryas aurinia, Pilularia globulifera, Coenagrion armatum, Subularia aquatica, Hammarbya paludosa, Erynnis tages, Hesperia comma, Coenonympha tullia and Chorthippus jutlandica. Expected results: Remote sensing on a total of 11 140 ha, resulting in GIS maps with the location and distribution of Japanese rose (Rosa rugosa). Occurrence of this invasive species is expected on 1.225% of the area, which implies a total of 136.5 ha with the Japanese rose; The project intends to remove the Japanese rose from a minimum of 10.9 ha and a maximum of 109 ha (dependent on whether the Danish authorities permit the use of pesticides for this task); The hydrological conditions of 51 areas will be improved and restored. Hydrological feasibility studies will be carried out on 529 ha and 5.5 km of watercourses; Establishment of five ‘bird islands’, free of mammal-predators, with a total area of at least 3 000 m2; Fencing off of 17 ha to enable it to develop into a different (protected) habitat type; Removal of invasive species on 129.7 ha of decalcified dunes and 91.1 ha of wooded dunes; Cutting of a 105.56 ha plantation, resulting in the development of the fixed dunes and humid dune slacks habitats over a 10-year period. The removal of commercial plantations in the open coastal dune habitats will reduce habitat fragmentation; Improved conditions for the targeted species; Dissemination of the results and knowledge gained in the project to all stakeholders involved in conservation of Danish coastal dune habitats; and Communication with the general public by means of Interactive smartphone and tablet communications platforms.

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