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Coastal dunes are an invaluable resource. Dunes protect beaches from erosion and therefore also protect
commercial and residential property and wildlife habitat. By acting as natural barriers, dunes also protect inland areas from storms, high waves, and wind. Dunes also hold sand that can
replenish eroded beaches. Dunes are damaged and destroyed primarily by residential and commercial development and recreational activity. Because there have been no comprehensive baseline
studies, the exact extent of dune loss over time on the Texas coast is not known.
With the enactment of the Texas Dune Protection Act, coastal counties are required to establish a dune
protection line and to control activity seaward of the line. The line may lie up to 1,000 feet landward of the mean high tide. The Dune Protection Act does not apply to "any dune area not
accessible by public road or common carrier ferry facility."* In other words, the act protects only dunes on public beaches. Before any activity other than livestock grazing and oil and gas production can occur seaward of the protection line, a permit is required from the county or municipal government.* For the protection of dunes, the state's Coastal Management Plan encourages the development of beach traffic lanes, off-beach parking, dune walkovers, and dune revegetation and restoration.
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