7.8 Dune revegetation at stuarts point.

1. The coastal management dune area discussed in the this unit is located in Stuarts Point which is a village located on the mid-north coast of New South Wales.

2.

3. Describe the role of the local community in managing the sand dune area.

The local community is responsible for ensuring that the sand dune area is safe and continues to be healthy so that the dunes can provide tourism for stuarts point and also because they help the fishing industry. An example of the community helping was in May 1965 they provided native plant seedlings and planting advice to the progress association of Stuarts Point in what was to be the start of the revegetation program for the dunes. 

4. The sand dunes are important to the people of stuarts point because they provide a scenic attraction to the town which provides them with tourism that benefits the local economy and residents. They are also concerned about maintaining the dune because of the history and relevence to the town.

5. In 7.35 the vegetation progressively gets denser and more populated starting out with grasses and creepers then shrubs and short trees and finally long lived tall trees.

6. The vegetation provides support in form of when the roots from the vegetation hold the dune in place and stop it from being washed away easily and the vegetation on the top stop the sand being blown away by strong winds and intern are important for the wellbeing of the plants. 

7. The cattle started to graze on the vegetation which intern disrupted the natural protection that the vegetation brings. 

8. After the cattle grazed on the vegetation they would have caused serious damage to the dunes and changed geographical processes that affect the dunes. 

9. Department of Lands, the Department of Public Works, the Macleay Shire Council, and the Soil Conservation Service of New South Wales

10.  1 - Tractor forms a small foredune roughly 2metres high.

       2 - Fence then constructed to help trap the wind blown sand dune.

       3 - Trees planted along the river bank to stabilise the western margin of the area.

       4 - Natural species planted such as banksia, melaleuca and leptospermum.

12. The geographical process of lonshore drift has caused the river mouth to silt up in 1900. 

13. a) The revegetation program was successful to for the sand dunes because it effectively stabilised the dune via means of replanting vegetation and keeping the process natural.

      b) As well as the dunes the macleay river ecosystem also benefited naturally as a result of the revegetation program.

      c)The local groups in the community now had the dunes restabilised and once again were a popular tourist attraction for their town.

14. The vegetation on the sand dunes is highly important and necessary for them because it  protects the dune from being blown away by winds and the succession of vegetation protects the bare beach dunes that are more likely to be damaged. The grasses and creepers protect the incipient dune while the shrubs and short trees protect the fore dune and lastly the tall trees protect the hind dune. Strong winds and the geographical process of longshore drift can cause the sand dunes to move inland. The coastal management option of closing the dunes and replanting the vegetation will stabilise the sand.