These two sites represent dune landscapes along the west coast of Jutland, Husby is the largest of 388 ha and Trøjborg 220 ha, and the Danish Nature Agency (Naturstyrelsen) owns both areas. The vegetation consists of mosaics of heaths, dune slacks, and grey dunes, both areas were historically planted with non-native conifers to control drifting sands, these old plantings of especially Pinus mugo and contorta have due to coastal winds and poor sandy soils developed into short shrub patches with high degree of openness. In 2022, year-round grazing cattle and horses were introduced to Husby, and horses to Trøjborg. Grazing with horses and cattle in dune landscapes is very uncommon in Denmark, thus year-round grazing represents a change in nature management. This case landscape therefore provides an opportunity to explore not only the effect of wild large grazing animals on biodiversity in dunes but also how locals perceive this change in their local landscapes.
An intensive survey of vegetation was established with 212 plots to annually monitor how the introduced cattle and horses affect species of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens in dunes that are characterized by low productivity, especially lichen of the genus Cladonia are very diverse in dune systems but their response to disturbances from herbivores have not been examined thoroughly before. A series of grazing exclosures have been set up which allow the study of herbivore effects while controlling for background caused by dynamics in the environment such as disturbances from sand drifting that is a primary disturbance driver in dune systems.
Animal behavior is also studied in this case landscape using GPS-collars on the introduced cattle and horses thus allowing intensive monitoring of their usage of the landscapes, additionally this data is supplied by visual observations of behavior thus the methods can validate each other. Finally, the information on grazing pressures from GPS-collars helps reveal whether potential effects on vegetation corresponds to the presence and disturbances of large herbivores i.e., given the expectation that grazing and soil disturbances will promote a more diverse biological community with space for low-competitive species.
Total species list from our plots.
Both study areas are very popular with nature-based recreational users, such as hikers, cyclists, dog-walkers, orienteering, nature enthusiasts and horse riders. The areas around the study sites are also highly popular summerhouse destinations for especially Danes and Germans. Trøjborg has until recently been a military training area, that was fenced off and not open to the public but has not been adopted as a place for recreation. At Sustainscapes we look at stakeholder perspectives on nature-based recreation usage of the site in its current state and how this may be affected by the year-round grazing project. Fencing in an area and introducing large domestic livestock will for some uses change the possibilities for certain nature-based activities. The research looks at this conundrum and identifies areas of potential social conflict and offers insights in the perhaps underlying subjective values and feelings connected to landscape changes in relation to nature conservation projects.
