Encroachment of tall grasses and shrubs in coastal dunes has resulted in loss of vegetation heterogeneity. This is expected to have negative effects on animal diversity. To counteract encroachment and develop structural heterogeneity grazing is a widely used management practice. Here, we aim to functionally interpret changes in vegetation composition and configuration following grazing management on habitat suitability for sand lizards. Aerial photographs taken over a period of 16 years were used to quantify changes in vegetation composition. A GISbased method was developed to calculate habitat suitability for sand lizards in a spatially explicit manner, encompassing differences in vegetation structure and patch size. Coast Conserv (2012) 16:89-99 DOI 10.1007 different scale levels to fully capture the natural landscape dynamics.