Sand Dunes -Mosses
The Sefton duneland has been renowned since the mid-19th century as a key locality for mosses and liverworts, including the first British records for several species. Smith (2017c) listed 225 taxa for the dunes, representing about 21.5% of the British bryophyte flora.
Twenty-three are regionally or nationally ‘notable’, five being Section 41 species. However, three of these are regionally extinct, while two other notable species are also thought to be extinct, leaving only 18 of the coast’s notable bryophytes still extant.
Most of our rarer species are associated with open habitats in dune-slacks, leading Callaghan (2021) to suggest that large-scale stripping of vegetation and soil from areas of stable dunes and slacks, to recreate early successional conditions, would be a rewarding approach to restoring bryophyte interest on the Sefton dunes.
Related Strategy and Resources
