Voornes Dune

The Voornes Duin is a nature reserve in South Holland on the island of Voorne, covering approximately 1400 ha. Parts have been managed by Natuurmonumenten since 1927. The foundation Het Zuid-Hollands Landschap also manages part of the area. Voornes Duin has had the status of Natura 2000 area since 2008.

Voornes Duin belongs to the so-called young, calcium-rich dunes that were only developed in the Late Middle Ages. The oldest core is the Heveringen in the northeast of the area near the village of Oostvoorne, while the youngest dunes are at the Groene Punt, formed late in the 20th century. The landscape has changed significantly in character throughout the twentieth century. Due to overgrazing, the area was a drifting sandy desert by the end of the 19th century. The government intervened in 1910, resulting in a ban on grazing and logging, and in planting with forest. The hydraulic engineering works near the dune area had a major impact, such as the construction of the New Waterway around 1870 and the Delta Works in the second half of the 20th century. The construction of the Maasvlakte and the industrialization of Europoort also left their deep marks.
The fact that the area is still worthwhile and houses many species of animals and plants is due to the fact that the dune area could not be used for water extraction due to the relatively small size of the sand packs. The poorly permeable clay and peat layers also ensured that many wet environments can still be found in Voornes Duin. There are two large dune lakes in addition to wet dune valleys and several small ponds and marshes. There is also a lot of forest, including the Waterbos, and there are dune grasslands and thickets, including sea buckthorn. The area has many transitions, from wet to dry, from nutrient-poor to -rich, from calcium-rich to -poor, and from fresh to salty. This causes the great variety of communities.

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