 Many of them are protected as nature reserves, and some are parts of larger conservation areas, incorporating other coastal habitats like salt marches, mud flats, grasslands, scrub and woodland.Sand dunes provide a range of habitats for a range of unusual, interesting and characteristic plants that can cope with disturbed habitats.In the UK these may include restharrow "Ononis repens", sand spurge "Euphorbia arenaria" and ragwort "Senecio vulgaris" - such plants are termed ruderals.