The Oregon grape
The sea holly
The wild pansy
The marsh grass of Parnassus
The Oregon grape originates from North American spruce forests. It was introduced here as an ornamental plant, but now it proliferates in our dunes.
The dune gentian
The common moonwort
The Japanese rose
The round-leaved wintergreen
The Japanese rose is native to North-East China, Japan, Korea and South-East Siberia. It was introduced here as an ornamental plant, but now it proliferates in our dunes.
It produces poisonous berries. Just one berry will put you in hospital.
It enriches our nature and fits nicely among the indigenous plants.
It is for sale in garden centres.
It is related to the potato and the tomato.
It is a threat to the indigenous dune nature. It overgrows everything with thorny bushes.
The Chinese wolfberry is not toxic. It produces edible goji berries, but it also poses a threat to our dune nature.
The natterjack toad
The herring gull
The native dune giraffe
The grayling
The habitat of the natterjack toad and the grayling is being overgrown, making it difficult for these typical dune animals to survive. The herring gull and the dune giraffe are doing just fine.
It produces poisonous fruit. One rosehip will put you in hospital.
It enriches our nature and fits nicely among the indigenous plants.
It is for sale in garden centres.
It is related to the garden rose.
It is a threat to the indigenous dune nature. It overgrows everything with dense bushes.
The Japanese rose is not toxic. It produces fragrant flowers and rosehips, but it also poses a threat to our dune nature.
They escape from nearby gardens and parks via their roots.
Through the faeces of birds that may contain seeds.
They are planted deliberately in order to brighten up the wild dune nature.
Their seeds blow with the wind from nearby gardens and parks.
Through unmanaged garden waste, plant parts and seeds end up in the dunes, where they extend or germinate.
Invasive plants are not deliberately planted in the dunes, but they spread in different ways via seeds, roots and plant parts.
Remove them root and all through excavation works.
Launch a communication campaign to inform people and make them aware of the problem.
Ban the sale of invasive alien plants in garden centres.
Tackle only the most important nature areas.
LIFE DUNIAS will mainly dig up the invasive plants using excavators. The project would like to prevent the sale of invasive plants, but unfortunately it is not in its power to do so. LIFE DUNIAS does not limit itself to certain areas, but rather wants to free all dune areas along the entire coastline from invasive plants. Through an extensive communication campaign, LIFE DUNIAS informs and raises awareness about the problem.
Right after the excavation works, animals such as the northern dune tiger beetle and the grayling already benefit from the new, bare dune landscape.
In function of rain, sun and wind, nature starts to recover within the year.
We will have to be patient for seven years. Only then will nature slowly start to recover.
Never, we will always tell where the excavator has been.
Nature recovers very quickly, especially in a dune landscape. Even the seemingly bare sand after the works has ecological value. Some indigenous plants and animals will be found there even right after the works.
In 2027
In 2032
In 2037
In 2042
LIFE DUNIAS is ambitious. The works are not trivial, but the ambition is to have the entire coast free of invasive plants within five years. Of course, there is also aftercare involved.
Do not plant invasive plants in your own garden.
Avoid garden waste ending up in nature.
Learn to recognise invasive plants and report them via ObsIdentify or observation.org.
Share photos of invasive plants on social media with #woekerplant.
Don't be alarmed by heavy equipment in the dunes. They are there to help nature.
You can do all five! Take action and make sure that unwanted invasive plants do not threaten our dunes.