From the Middle Ages to the present day legal instruments and management practices have been employed to control sand movement, build sand dykes and find uses for the wastelands. The high natural values of dunes were largely ignored. In recent years a new European view has emerged, an approach that respects the value of dune systems to society as natural sea defences, wildlife refuges and recreational areas. This volume addresses the key issues for coastal dune conservation in the early twenty-first century based on the shared experience of practical dune management in northwest Europe.