More than 20 conservation volunteers gathered in Berrow this week to help stop the spread of an invasive plant in the sand dunes.
Members of Berrow Conservation Group and Sedgemoor Conservation Volunteers visited the nature reserve, as pictured, to remove sea buckthorn plants during a day of conservation work.
Sedgemoor District Council’s landscape officer, Janette Burton, who led the work, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “We were pleased to have a good turnout of helpers who have removed a large quantity of sea buckthorn.”
In recent years, the sea buckthorn has spread over half of the area of the dunes, leading to the loss of large areas of grassland habitat – hence the need for regular clean-ups.
“We want to encourage grassland species and wild flowers to grow. Regularly removing the sea buckthorn does help them,” added Mrs Burton.
Sea buckthorn thrives in coastal areas where there is salt spray and sandy surroundings. Berrow Nature Reserve is owned and managed by Sedgemoor District Council and is included within the Berrow Dunes Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Pictured, above, are Chris and Richard Kirk from Berrow Conservation Group at Sunday’s conservation event, and, top, the full group of volunteers
