A Dutch dune area has dried out at a number of locations as a result of water extraction and drainage of adjacent areas.
As a result, wildlife managers are searching for favorable locations to restore the natural environment to the original wet dune valleys.
Chris Bakker has compiled a number of characteristics that a dune valley must satisfy for a successful restoration project to be carried out.
Bakker investigated dune valleys in Zuid Kennemerland National Park, near IJmuiden, the Netherlands. He discovered that the restoration of plant growth in nutrient-poor, wet dune valleys set off a chain reaction with respect to changes in the quantity of dead plants, responses of individual plants and the species composition of the vegetation.
Changes in the water level were found to have a major impact on the ecosystems, especially on plant life, according to Bakker.
The Dutch dune area is particularly important for water extraction and is of international importance.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International
