About Us
Friends of Fistral Dunes is a community group set up to protect, restore and conserve Fistral Dunes’ diverse habitat, biodiversity and to promote its natural history and ecology.
Environmental Community Group
Who Are FFD?
Who Are FFD?
Friends of Fistral Dunes is made up of local individuals and organisations. These include Newquay Marine Group, Land and Sea Cornwall CIC, relevant Cornwall Councillors and local stakeholders.
COVID-19 restrictions are impeding work at this time, but we are working behind the scenes to ensure we have everything we need to get going once we are allowed to work in groups again.
We are paying attention to the seasons and making sure we carry out the most appropriate activities at the most appropriate times of the year.
Why Fistral Dunes?
Why Fistral Dunes?
In recent years, it has become increasingly obvious that Fistral’s dunes are experiencing erosion and sediment loss, perhaps at a rate not seen before. This is partly to do with the weather, partly to do with the dune’s dynamic ecosystem and partly to do with human activity. It is critically important that we rehabilitate, conserve and manage this dune system before it is lost. The role the dunes play in providing important biologically diverse habitats cannot be easily recreated elsewhere. They also have a role in providing protection against the risk of coastal flooding due to the dynamic nature of beach‐dune interactions and their sheer size preventing the sea from impacting upon the hinterland behind the dune systems.
Our Aims
Friends of Fistral Dunes has decided to step in to manage the dunes as they have had very little effective and holistic management in recent years. As one of Britain’s most iconic beaches, we feel we must act before Fistral’s dunes are lost. Here are some of our aims:
Conservation
To promote the conservation and sensitive use of Fistral Dunes
Diverse Habitat
To make Fistral Dunes a valuable local community asset and a diverse habitat.
Management
To advise and assist in the management of Fistral Dunes in accordance with the Cornwall Beach and Dune Management Plan 2016.
Structured Goals
To structure the management plan into short term, medium term and long term goals and initially concentrate on:
Restoring the dunes
Protecting the dunes
Monitoring the dunes
Restricting Access
Temporarily restricting access to some parts of the dunes for conservation purposes.
Accessibility for all
Providing more accessible areas in agreed locations
Knowledge
To promote knowledge of all aspects of Fistral Dunes, particularly the natural history and ecology.
Support
To support and encourage all stakeholders, user groups and organisations with an interest in Fistral dunes to devise a wider dune management plan for the future
Funding
To secure funding from a variety of sources to carry out the aforementioned tasks
Our Aims
Friends of Fistral Dunes has decided to step in to manage the dunes as they have had very little effective and holistic management in recent years. As one of Britain’s most iconic beaches, we feel we must act before Fistral’s dunes are lost. Here are some of our aims:
Conservation
To promote the conservation and sensitive use of Fistral Dunes
Diverse Habitat
To make Fistral Dunes a valuable local community asset and a diverse habitat.
Management
To advise and assist in the management of Fistral Dunes in accordance with the Cornwall Beach and Dune Management Plan 2016.
Structured Goals
To structure the management plan into short term, medium term and long term goals and initially concentrate on:
Restoring the dunes
Protecting the dunes
Monitoring the dunes
Restricting Access
Temporarily restricting access to some parts of the dunes for conservation purposes.
Accessibility for all
Providing more accessible areas in agreed locations
Knowledge
To promote knowledge of all aspects of Fistral Dunes, particularly the natural history and ecology.
Support
To support and encourage all stakeholders, user groups and organisations with an interest in Fistral dunes to devise a wider dune management plan for the future
Funding
To secure funding from a variety of sources to carry out the aforementioned tasks

You can find all our events info for future Action Days in our ‘News’ section on our website, sign up to our newsletter and follow us on social media via Facebook and Instagram.

Find out more about the sand dune systems and some specific management information regarding Fistral Dunes here.
Some of Our Work
FFD has decided to step in to manage the dunes as they have had very little effective and holistic management in recent years. As one of Britain’s most iconic beaches, we feel we must act before Fistral’s dunes are lost.
This will be an ongoing project. We aim to hold various volunteer days to tackle different points of management for the dunes. Stay tuned on social media, join our email list to keep up to date and keep an eye on our ‘Events’ section on our website.

