Sandwich Bay

General site character

• Tidal rivers, Estuaries, Mud flats, Sand flats, Lagoons (including saltwork basins) (32%)
  
• Salt marshes, Salt pastures, Salt steppes (15%)
  
• Coastal sand dunes, Sand beaches, Machair (35%)
  
• Inland water bodies (Standing water, Running water) (1%)
  
• Bogs, Marshes, Water fringed vegetation, Fens (1%)
  
• Humid grassland, Mesophile grassland (5%)
  
• Improved grassland (10%)
  
• Coniferous woodland (1%)
  

Annex I habitats that are a primary reason for selection of this site

• 2110 Embryonic shifting dunes

  The Embryonic shifting dunes at Sandwich Bay are representative of this habitat type in south-east England. The seaward edge of the north of this site displays a good sequence of embryonic shifting dune communities and there is a clear zonation within the dune habitat, with strandline species on the seaward edge and sand-binding grasses inland. Lyme-grass Leymus arenarius is extremely sparse and sand couch Elytrigia juncea is the dominant sand-binding species.

• 2120 "Shifting dunes along the shoreline with Ammophila arenaria (""white dunes"")"

  Shifting dunes along the shoreline with Ammophila arenaria occurs along the seaward edge of the northern half of this extensive dune system. It is representative of shifting dune vegetation in south-east England, a region where the habitat type is very restricted in its distribution. Although the area of this habitat type is small by comparison with other listed sites, the shifting dune vegetation contains a good range of characteristic foredune species including sea bindweed Calystegia soldanella, sea spurge Euphorbia paralias and sea-holly Eryngium maritimum.

• 2130 "Fixed coastal dunes with herbaceous vegetation (""grey dunes"")"  * Priority feature

  Sandwich Bay is a largely inactive dune system with a particularly extensive representation of fixed dune grassland, the only large area of this habitat in the extreme south-east of England. The vegetation is extremely species-rich and the site has been selected because it includes a number of rare and scarce species, such as fragrant evening-primrose Oenothera stricta, bedstraw broomrape Orobanche caryophyllacea and sand catchfly Silene conica, as well as the UK’s largest population of lizard orchid Himantoglossum hircinum.

• 2170 Dunes with Salix repens ssp. argentea (Salicion arenariae)

  The small area of dunes with Salix repens ssp. argentea found at Sandwich Bay is of interest as it is the only example found in the dry south-east of England and is representative of this habitat type in a near-continental climate.

Annex I habitats present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for selection of this site

• 2190 Humid dune slacks

Annex II species that are a primary reason for selection of this site

• Not Applicable

Annex II species present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for site selection

• Not Applicable