Shingle on the Cusp
Vegetated shingle is an incredible habitat which tells the story of how nature battles the elements to create fantastic diversity in the harshest of settings. From yellow horned poppies to Sussex emerald moths, it is home to a range of highly specialised and in many cases extremely rare plants and animals some of which are found on Dungeness and nowhere else in the world! The key threat to this habitat is disturbance. Simply walking across the stones can disturb the fragile root systems of plants or nesting burrows of invertebrates. So things such as visitor pressure, machinery movements, military exercises during WWII and since, gravel extraction and beach replenishment activities all have significant impacts on this rare and valuable habitat. To combat these pressures the project is focussing in three separate areas; Firstly, trial vegetation restoration plots, secondly, invasive species control and finally education.
Shingle on the Cusp contributes to Restore project theme.
There are currently no volunteering opportunities within this project.
Visit the volunteering page to find out more about getting involved with Fifth Continent projects.
The Shingle Resource published
We are preparing resources for residents and people visiting the area. Our first ‘The Shingle Resource’ was published on 5 February 2019. This is a one stop shop for all you’ll ever want to know about living with or visiting shingle and dune habitats for locals and for visitors. The resource provides practical advice on issues affecting your area. You can access the resources library by clicking the new ‘Resources’ button on most pages of this website.
Survey of shingle species completed
After a whole summer and autumn of surveying, 164 invertebrate species have been recorded including: one entirely new species for Kent Anotylus clypeonitens which is an absolutely tiny beetle; a rare species of dung beetle that was thought extinct until a couple of years ago called Rhyssemus Germans; and a very rare spider which is a Dungeness speciality called Pellenes tripunctatus (See photo above taken by Tony Witts). This data, as well as being important in its own right, will also serve as a baseline against which we can measure the effect of the brash piles over time.
Visit our Blog & News page.
It is planned to create a number of short films about Romney Marsh during the life of the scheme and this will include recording the progress of the projects. Go to the film footage page to get details of the films we have produced so far.
This is a one stop shop for all you’ll ever want to know about living with or visiting shingle and dune habitats for locals and for visitors. The resource provides practical advice on issues affecting your area. Click here for more information.
What you plant in your garden can have a lasting effect on the landscape around you. The Gardening by the sea leaflet provides some handy hints on how to get the best out of your garden whilst helping nature to thrive. Follow the Gardening by the sea link to view the leaflet.
To find out more including how to get involved contact the project team.
