The role of livestock grazing in long-term vegetation changes in coastal dunes: a case study from the Netherlands

The vegetation of coastal sand dunes is characterized by high species diversity and comprises some of the rarest vegetation types in North-Western Europe. Among them are dune grassland communities whose species richness relies on grazing. Those communities are assessed as a priority habitat type under the Natura 2000 legislation. In autumn 1990, Galloway cows and Nordic Fjord horses were introduced in the coastal dunes of Meijendel near The Hague (52°7'N, 4°20'E), The Netherlands, to reduce encroachment of tall grasses and shrubs, to develop bare sand patches, and as such facilitating diverse... Mehr ...