Abstract
The invasive non-native shrub Rosa rugosa (Japanese Rose) is well-established in many northwest European countries where, especially on coastal sand-dunes, it forms large dominant stands with adverse effects on semi-natural vegetation and biota of high conservation status. Its recent increase in England’s largest dune system on the Sefton Coast in north Merseyside led to an investigation into its rate of spread. Using digitised aerial photographs and GIS methodology, sample patches of old-established R. rugosa were found to have grown in area by an average of 22 % per annum between 1989 and 2013. This rate of increase is comparable to that found in Denmark and higher than reported for several other woody plants in coastal dunes. In the absence of management, R. rugosa could soon dominate large areas on the Sefton Coast, with serious consequences for amenity and the nature conservation interest of the dune system.
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Acknowledgments
This study formed a component of a B.Sc. Degree in the School of Health Sciences, Liverpool Hope University. Thanks are due to Dr. Barbara Tigar for supervising the project and to Dave Mercer, Rachel Northover and Sally Edmondson and staff of the Geography Department for help, support and advice. Hollie Armstrong and Matthew Rogan assisted with field work. Ben Deed and the volunteers at Merseyside BioBank kindly provided access to aerial photographs and GIS software and also gave advice on data analysis. We are most grateful to Maike Isermann for helpful comments and for providing relevant literature and to Richard Burkmar for statistical advice.
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Boardman, C., Smith, P.H. Rates of spread of Rosa rugosa (Japanese Rose) determined by GIS on a coastal sand-dune system in Northwest England. J Coast Conserv 20, 281–287 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-016-0439-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-016-0439-7