CCRG has initiated the 'Plugging the Gap' project.
Coastal sand dunes are dynamic, vegetated hills of sand formed by onshore winds blowing across dry beaches. They act as vital natural sea defenses and support unique biodiversity.
In the last thirty years the Happisburgh shoreline has suffered dramatic erosion and change. One noticeable change is the loss of most of the marram grass which supported the dunes and the co dependant ecosystems. Thirty years ago the dunes stretched from the far south end of Happisburgh beach almost to Walcott.
With evidence that the current rate of erosion at Happisburgh is slowing and that we may be entering a period of relative stability with regard to the shoreline our group undertook an experiment..
Last year CCRG planted 60 young marram grass plugs on the edge of the remaining dunes at the far end of the ‘big bay’. The objective was to see if they survived and whether they would naturally extend the existing dunes. After a year we witnessed ¾ of the plugs had survived and could be considered ‘established’. This was despite a very dry summer where we were not able to water the plugs which is not best for young grass.
We learnt where best to plant to take advantage of ground water seepage from the cliffs. We found that all plugs that benefited from the ground water survived. We now also know that the more mature the plugs the better they can withstand the variation of rainfall and wind conditions.
This encouraging evidence has convinced us that a larger project is justified to repeat the process on a greater scale and, importantly, engage the whole community in Happisburgh.
We are currently seeking funds from the Parish Council and the NNDC Coastwise project to plant a larger area with the aim to extend the existing dunes and make a case for a large scale dedicated commitment to restore the dunes at Happisburgh to slow the erosion.
We plan to involve anyone in the village to foster a set of grass plugs for a period of time before we have a series of planting days. We would like to see children included in the care of the plugs, especially as we envisage the greening of the beach to be a project that extends far into the future, their future.
CCRG will hold information events in the village to inform and hopefully sign up volunteers to care for the grass plugs and to help plant them.
We also have plans for an exciting supplement to the Plugging the Gap project that will be revealed in the near future.