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Invasive species meets its match

Published: 30/11/2023

Flintshire’s Coastal Ranger team has been working with partners to complete a mammoth conservation task in Talacre's dune system over the course of 2023.

The team has a long history of successful partnership working, and has been working alongside landowners ENI and Bourne Leisure for over 20 years at Flintshire’s primary tourist destination.

In recent years, the partnership has focused on tackling invasive species within the dune system, with Clematis Vitalba being a particular problem. This once widespread plant which shades out and outcompetes the native plant species is finally starting to meet its match with every stand in the fifty plus hectare dune system being treated by the team.

Over the last 8 years Flintshire’s Coastal Rangers and partner site based rangers have been working hard to reduce the hold this plant has in the system, and finally for the first time it can be said that every stand of clematis has been treated. 

The team has been systematically working their way from west to east through the dune system targeting the clematis year after year. It’s a long process as not all treatments are successful and new stands of clematis pop up each year to treat.

A variety of methods have been used to try and get on top of the Clematis, with rangers leading groups of college students being drafted in to help cut and pull the larger stands in the first few years. After some trial plots were set up in 2017 the most successful way to eradicate it was using a herbicide treatment, this is applied using a spot treatment method to allw the teams to kill the clematis without damaging the wider dune system.

Councillor David Healey, Cabinet member for Climate change and Economy said: "The works done so far have been incredible, the dune system is the only one in Flintshire so it is vital we work to protect it. The countryside team will continue the works to make sure any stands that haven’t died will get follow up treatment and monitoring will continue for new stands.

"Thanks must be given to the Heritage Lottery Fund who have also contributed to this task by paying for contractor time over the last 2 years, this is through the Our Dee Estuary Tidal Dee Catchment Partnership project, designed to inspire coastal communities on the Wirral and in Flintshire & Denbighshire about the natural heritage of the Dee Estuary.”

Works like this are essential to protect and enhance Flintshire’s coast and dedicated rangers will continue through the development of Flintshire’s coast park and maintenance of the Wales Coast Path.