Natura 2000-område nr. 43 Klitheder mellem Stenbjerg og Lodbjerg Protected Landscape Atlas

The area is best known for its extensive, near-natural dune heaths; the unusually large, coherent dune system along the Thy coastline; and its rich coastal heath and dune slack habitats. It is also notable for its birdlife, particularly the presence of breeding tinksmed (spotted redshank) and cranes, and for rare, red-listed plants adapted to acidic, nutrient-poor dune environments. The site represents one of the more complete examples of the gradient from active foredunes through white dunes and grey-green dune heaths into stabilized inland heaths and wet dune slacks in Denmark.

The landscape has long been shaped by natural dune processes and by human efforts to stabilize the moving sand. The earliest formal protection on this stretch dates back to 1955, when a declaration by the Fredningsnævnet for Thisted Amtsrådskreds established protections for areas in Stenbjerg and Vorupør. This was extended in 1964 by a decision of the Overfredningsnævnet covering additional dune and heath areas around Stenbjerg and Vorupør, and again in 1976 with the Overfredningsnævnet order of 26 April that protected the heath and dune areas between Lyngby and Flade Sø.

These overlapping conservation orders were issued to preserve the natural state of the heath and dune land, to maintain those areas unchanged in their natural condition, and to prevent subdivision of the area for summerhouse development. Together they form the core of the long-standing national protection that still covers most of the site today.

The site was formally incorporated into the European Natura 2000 network as Area No. 43, with the Natura 2000 plan adopted in 2011. Following adoption, the municipal councils and the Danish Nature Agency prepared binding action plans to implement the plan on the ground, and the framework is periodically reviewed and extended through subsequent planning periods, coordinated with the Limfjorden water plan.

The landscape of Natura 2000 Area No. 43 is a classic west Jutland coastal dune and heath system. On its western edge the terrain is shaped by the sea, with an active dune belt that includes embryonic foredunes, mobile white dunes, and more stabilized grey-green dune heaths climbing inland. This dry, exposed character defines the western part of the site.

To the east the topography eases out. Large flat expanses of heath and dune dominate, interspersed with dune slacks (klitlavninger), small lakes, and boggy hollows. The dune slacks in particular create the wet, low-lying pockets that contrast with the dry, windblown dunes along the coast and add significant habitat diversity to the site.

The site borders the Stenbjerg, Hvidbjerg, and Lodbjerg Klitplantager plantations, and the transition between open dune heath and forested plantation creates a distinct landscape mosaic. The overall impression is of a broad, open coastal heathland where the sea and wind continuously reshape the western fringe while the inland areas gradually stabilize into heath and slack.

Ecologically, the site is built around the dune habitat sequence that gives it its name. Multiple dry dune types are present, including foredune, white dune, grey-green dune, dune heath, sea-buckthorn dune, and grey-willow dune habitats, complemented by wet dune slacks and associated lake and stream features. The dune heaths are the dominant habitat type overall, with bogs, small lakes, and short stream reaches adding important wet elements.

These habitats together represent one of the larger coherent dune systems in near-natural condition in Denmark, with internlobliable areas preserving close-to-natural dune dynamics along the western edge. The dry, nutrient-poor character of the sands together with the wet dune slacks produces a steep ecological gradient over short distances, which supports the specialized plant assemblages for which the site is known.

In addition to the dune habitats, the site includes small Lobelia lakes and soft-water lakes with sparse shore vegetation, as well as brunvandet sø (brown-water lakes) and stream sections characteristic of the Limfjorden catchment. Stands of stilkege scrub (Quercus robur scrub) appear locally, adding a woodland element to an otherwise open heath and dune landscape.

The site is valued first and foremost as an important bird area. It supports a particularly notable breeding population of tinksmed (Tringa glareola) and common cranes, with the dune slacks and inland heath providing suitable open, wet conditions for these species. The mix of dry heath, wet slacks, pools, and adjacent plantation edge creates varied conditions for a broader bird community seasonally.

The herptile fauna is also significant in conservation terms. Of the Annex IV species under the EU Habitats Directive, the site hosts the large great crested newt, the agile frog, the natterjack toad, and the common sand lizard. The presence of these species underlines the importance of the site's small lakes, dune slacks, and open sandy areas for amphibians and reptiles that depend on a mosaic of breeding ponds and dry habitat.

The flora includes a number of rare and red-listed plant species, including Scottish lovage, sea bindweed, and fine hair-grass, alongside narrow-leaved bur-reed in the wetter slacks and lake margins.

The site's principal conservation importance lies in the scale and natural quality of its dune habitats, which form one of the largest coherent near-natural dune systems that Denmark contributes to the EU Natura 2000 network. Several of the dune habitat types listed for the site are classified as prioritized habitats under the Habitats Directive, reflecting their particularly high conservation status.

Most of the area's land surface is also protected under Section 3 of the Danish Nature Protection Act, with heathland being the most extensive protected type. A substantial portion of the remainder is bog and freshwater habitats, both of which also receive protection through the Nature Protection Act and the coordinated Limfjorden water plan. The dune heath and slack mosaic is therefore protected through a layered system of national and European designations.

The Natura 2000 plan adopted in 2011 sets the framework for active management, including binding action plans prepared by Thisted Municipality and the Danish Nature Agency. These plans aim to maintain open dune and heath habitats, safeguard water levels in slacks and lakes, and protect the breeding conditions of the site's key bird and herptile species. Coordination with the Limfjorden water plan ensures that water quality and hydrology in the site's streams and lakes are managed consistently with broader catchment goals.

The dunes and heaths along this stretch of Thy have shaped local life for generations, with the coastal fisheries villages of Stenbjerg and Vorupør forming closely linked human communities on the edge of the protected landscape. The dune plantations of Stenbjerg, Hvidbjerg, and Lodbjerg were established largely to stabilize the migrating sands that historically threatened farmland and settlements inland, and they remain part of the working coastal landscape today.

The early conservation orders on this site, beginning with a 1955 declaration and followed by decisions in 1964 and 1976, reflect a long tradition of Danish nature protection aimed at keeping these coastal heaths and dunes open and intact and preventing their conversion to summerhouse development. This layered protection history is itself part of the cultural context of the area.

The site stands out for the exceptional scale of its dune habitats, occupying close to the full ecological gradient from active coastal dunes to inland stabilized heaths within a single protected area. It carries weight as a Special Area of Conservation under the EU Habitats Directive, and several of its dune habitat types are prioritized at the European level.

Its species profile is strongly linked to the dune environment: breeding tinksmed and cranes, Annex IV amphibians and reptiles such as the great crested newt and natterjack toad, and red-listed dune plants including Scottish lovage, sea bindweed, and fine hair-grass. The overlap between European designations, long-running national Section 3 protection, and coordination with the Limfjorden water plan gives the site a particularly robust conservation framework.

The dune and heath landscapes of Thy are most expressive in the warmer months, when the flowering of dune plants and the breeding activity of birds, including tinksmed and cranes, make inland slacks and adjacent heaths especially worthwhile for nature observation. Late spring and summer generally offer the richest mix of active birdlife and visible plant communities.

In winter and early spring the exposed western dunes can be harsh, with strong winds off the North Sea, but the open heath and the firmer tracks inland remain accessible. For a focus on the site's ecological character, including dune slacks, lakes, and specialized flora, the warmer half of the year tends to provide the most rewarding conditions.