With over 414 hectares of land and only six rangers, those charged with protecting Formby's coastline are outnumbered.
Since the National Trust took over the property in 1967 they have struck a "delicate balance" between adapting to constant change, protecting natural habitats, and repairing the damage made by past generations. While many may associate the coastline with fights over parking spaces and red squirrels those on the ground along with a group of dedicated volunteers are fighting to preserve an area that has been inhabited for over 9,000 years.
An average of 1.2 million people flood to the Sefton coastline each year and for those six rangers, their job is a "revolving door" from troubleshooter to conservationist.
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Chris Hunter has been a ranger since 2020, speaking to the ECHO he said: "The job can be demanding especially when you care so passionately to try and make the place as good for wildlife and people as possible. You open yourself up, unfortunately, when you operate a site as big as this, to negative comments and people who do not engage with what we are trying to protect.
"People do leave rubbish and set fire to parts of the beach but fortunately most of that happens in summer and when it comes to the winter months we can get on with making real change. We have a team who are passionate and we pull together to make the place better for everyone."
Unable to temper mother nature Chris said it is the "subtle differences" the rangers are making that will help to preserve the natural landscape. The dunes are currently rolling inwards at a rate of 3 metres a year and have already laid claim to most of the beach's car park which is entombed below the sand.
As part of the Dynamic Dunescapes project, the rangers are looking to navigate one of Formby's most unique problems. The pines that surround the beach are not natural to the area and were instead planted to be cut down at a later date, this never transpired and now as the dunes roll back they have begun to butt up against the unnatural landscape.
Chris said: "We have been creating corridors where the dunes meet the woodlands to help these habitats co-exist. Now it may not seem like a lot and we won't see the benefit for a long time but that is our job.
"We might not get the payoff straight away and most of the visitors will not notice what we are doing but we are thinking ahead. We are thinking about the future."
The past is also firmly in the frame and repairing the damage made by previous generations is a continuing theme. Between the 1950s and 1970s, thousands of tonnes of wet tobacco were tipped onto the dunes by the British Nicotine Company, which operated a plant nearby.
The tobacco cliffs are being rejuvenated as a haven for dwindling wildlife. Restoration of the cliffs, which is now underway, involves excavating two large V-shaped wedges from the dunes with diggers, allowing sand to be blown from the beach to be pushed through the gaps creating new, undulating dunes.
Operations Manager Amy Peacock said: "The beach was a dumping ground once and I don't think people respected it at all. That has changed as people are becoming more aware of the importance of the area.
"It is so important that we preserve it as it is a key part of the Sefton Coast and for the northwest as a whole. At the end of the day, it is home to really rare species and we have a duty of care to look after it and I as time goes on it is only going to become more and more prevalent. Without it, we would not have much left."
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