Studland Bay - Case Study

• A bay in Dorset, in the south-west of England
• Mostly sheltered from highly erosive waves, (the southern side of the bay is being eroded)
• There are sandy beaches around the bay, with sand dunes and heathland behind them.
• The heathland is a Site of Speical Scientific Interest (SSSI)
• It is also a popular tourist destination

Examples of the wildlife found there would be:

• Fish like seahorses - the only place in Britain where the spiny seahorse breeds.
• Plants like marram grass on the sand dunes. And plants like Lyme grass on the heather on the heathland.
• Birds like the Dartford warbleres (a rare bird in england) live happily there.

Some of these organisms are specailly adapted to live in the habitats at Studland Bay:

• Marram grass had folded leaves to reduce water loss, as sand dunes are windy and dry which increases transpiration. It also has long roots to take up water and to stabilise itself in the loose sand.
• Lyme grass has waxy leaves to reduce water loss by transpiration.

Some human activites don't use the environment in a sustainable way so the environment is managed to make sure it's conserved, but can still be used for activites.

• Lots of people walk across the sand dunes which has caused lots of erosion: So...

• Boardwalks are used to guide people over the dunes so the sand beneath them is protected.
• Some sand dunes have been fenced off and marram grass has been planted in them. This gives the dunes a chance to recover and the marram grass stabilises the sand.
• Information signs have been put up to let visitors know why the sand dune habitat is imporatant, and how they can enjoy the environment without damaging it.

• Hundreds of Boats use Studland Bay and their anchors destroy the seagrass where seahorses live. The seahorses are protected by law and so the boat owners are told not to damage the seagrass.
• The heathland behind the sand dunes is an important habitat, but it can be damaged by fires caused by things like cigarettes e.g. in 2008 a fire destroyed 6 acers of heathland. So now fire beaters are provided to exstinguish flames.