Limestone pavement
Description (English)
Limestone pavements are landforms resulting from dissolution processes exerted on hard limestone tables probably formed by ancient glacial erosion and subsequent weathering. They occur in or around the Alps and the Apennines and in northern Atlantic and Baltic regions and comprise flat or sloping surfaces of limestone separated by a network of vertical fissures. The size, shape and regularity of the blocks vary according to the local character of the bedrock and the climate, and much of the surface is bare but slowly accumulating soil. The shelter of crevices provides a variety of situations for colonisation. Drought-resistant communities of cushions of bryophytes and lichens and fragments of dry tufted grasslands can occur in exposed situations, whereas there is a more luxuriant vegetation of ferns, herbs, shrubs and trees at sheltered sites. Wind and herbivores often curtail any surface spread. The composition of the flora contrasts markedly between the major areas of occurrence.
Source: EUNIS habitat classification
Quick facts
| EUNIS habitat type | code U3E |
|---|---|
| Relation to | Annex I habitat types (EU Habitats Directive) |
Legal status
Relation to other habitat types mentioned in legal instruments
| Legal text | Annex | Name in legal text | Code in legal text |
Habitat type relationship |
More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora - consolidated version 01/01/2007 | Annex I: natural habitat types of community interest whose conservation requires the designation of special areas of conservation | * Limestone pavements | 8240 | Same | http://ec.europa.eu/environm...rective/index_en.htm |
Vegetation types
Relation to vegetation types (syntaxa)
Not availableSpecies mentioned in habitat description
Other classifications
| Classification | Code | Habitat type name | Relationship type |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 2007 (revised descriptions 2012) | H3.5 | Almost bare rock pavements, including limestone pavements | same |
| European Red List of Habitats | H3.5a | Limestone pavement | same |
History
| Classification | Code | Habitat type name | Relationship type | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 200410 | H3.5 | Almost bare rock pavements, including limestone pavements | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 200308 | H3.5 | Almost bare rock pavements, including limestone pavements | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 200202 | H3.5 | Almost bare rock pavements, including limestone pavements | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 199910 | H3.5 | Almost bare rock pavements, including limestone pavements | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 199811 | H3.5 | Almost bare rock pavements, including limestone pavements | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 199712 | H3.5 | Almost-bare rock pavements, including limestone pavements | same | |
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 199905 | 62.3 | Pavements | same | |
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1997 | 62.3 | Pavements | same | |
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1996 | 62.3 | same | ||
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1993 | 62.3 | same | ||
| CORINE Biotopes Classification 1991 | 62.3 | same | ||
| CORINE Biotopes Classification 1989 | 62.3 | same |
