Please do not walk on the dunes: assessing cumulative impacts on coastal vegetated sand dune systems in Newfoundland, Canada

Vegetated sand dune systems are a relatively rare form of coastline on the Island of Newfoundland (NL), but they provide diverse benefits to regional ecology and human landscape use. Despite their importance to coastal biodiversity and inland protection, few vegetated sand dune systems are located within protected areas in NL. Under little to no protection, many of NL’s dune systems are vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbances (e.g., dune trampling, all-terrain vehicle use). Boreal vegetated dunes, such as those in Atlantic Canada, are also subject to extensive natural disturbances that result from storm and precipitation events. Current climate change projections point to an increase in these types of events in NL, which, combined with the ongoing anthropogenic disturbance regime, may overwhelm the natural rejuvenation process of dune coastlines. Using a protected areas approach, we characterize the vegetation cover, plant community, and disturbance features on NL’s dune systems. Vegetation cover was sparser in unprotected areas, which were also associated with a greater cover of non-endemic plant species. Regardless of protection status, substrate disturbance was also linked with a loss of total vegetation cover across the system. This research provides important empirical findings on the relationship between protected areas status, vegetation cover, plant community, and substrate disturbance on NL’s coastal vegetated dunes, highlighting the need for additional land management initiatives to protect these vulnerable landscapes under the effects of human visitation and climate change.