Red List habitat classification > RLC - Freshwater habitats > RLC2.2a Permanent non-tidal, fast, turbulent watercourse of montane to alpine regions with mosses

Permanent non-tidal, fast, turbulent watercourse of montane to alpine regions with mosses

Quick facts

Red List habitat type	code RLC2.2a
Threat status
Europe	Least Concern
EU	Least Concern
Relation to	Annex I habitat types (EU Habitats Directive) Resolution 4 habitat type (Bern Convention)
Source	European Red List habitat factsheet
	European Red List of habitats reports
	European Red List of habitats (Excel table)

Summary

This habitat type includes small, shallow, fast-running and turbulent streams of montane and alpine regions of Europe. The water is highly oxygenated and rather cold during all seasons with temperatures rarely higher than 10°C in summer. The sediments consist almost exclusively of rocks and boulders, because the fast current does not allow the deposition of finer sediments. Vascular plants can occasionally occur in this habitat, especially in those parts of the riverbed where the current is slower and there is temporary accumulation of finer sediments. However no stable vascular plant community can be considered typical of this habitat type. Therefore the habitat does not include any vascular plant alliances, instead, lichens and bryophyte communities with high moss abundance are very characteristic of this habitat. The lichen and bryophytic vegetation is usually rather low in species number, on the contrary the fauna can be very rich including mainly stenothermic species of rheophile fauna.

Indicators of good quality:

Occurrence of stenothermic and rheophile fauna
High water velocity
Thin layer of algae covering the rocks, a thick layer of algae could be symptom of eutrophication in place
Absence of fine and organic sediments
Dominance of aquatic lichens and mosses
Natural hydrology

Characteristic species

Characteristic species:

Algae: Phormidium autumnale, Cladophora spp., Hydrurus foetidus, Bangia atropurpurea, Diatoma spp., Gomphonema olivaceum, Melosira varians, Chamaesiphon polonicus, C. amethystinus, Tolypothrix distorta, Navicula spp., Nitzschia spp., Cocconeis spp., Spirogyra spp., Mougeotia spp., Zygnema spp., Oocardium stratum, Vaucheria spp., Hildenbrandia rivularis, Lemanea fluviatilis, Audouinella hermannii, Heribaudiella fluviatilis, Surirella ovata, Closterium leibleinii, Staurastrum punctulatum.

Lichens: Verrucaria spp., Porina clorotica, Dermatocarpon luridum

Bryophytes: Scapania undulata, Cratoneuron spp., Blindia acuta, Brachythecium rivulare, B. plumosum, Bryum spp., Dichodontium pellucidum, Fontinalis antipyretica, Hydrogrimmia mollis, Hygrohypnum molle, H. smithii, Jungermannia exsertifolia, Schistidium rivulare, Cinclidotus fontinaloides, C. riparius, Philonotis fontana, Pohlia wahlenbergii, Rhacomitrium fasciculare, Platyhypnidium riparioides.

Macroinvertebrates: Mollusca (e.g. Ancylus fluviatilis), Turbellaria, Crustacea (Cyclops spp., Attheyella spp., Bryocamptus spp., Maraenobiotus spp., Hypocamptus spp., Moraria spp., Parastenocaris spp., Potamocypris spp., Cavernocypris spp., Cryptocandona spp.), Ephemeroptera (e.g. Baetis alpinus, B. lutheri, B. melanonyx), Trichopetera (e.g. Hydropsyche instabilis, Potamophylax cingulatus, Rhyacophila spp., Sericostoma pedemontanum), Ephemeroptera (e.g. Epeorus alpicola, E. sylvicola, Rhithrogena loyolaea, R. alpestris, Ecdyonurus alpinus, Oligoneuriella rhenana), Odonata (e.g. Baetis alpinus, B. rhodani, Calopteryx splendens, C. virgo, C. haemorrhoidalis), Plecoptera (e.g. Dictyogenus fontium, Protonemura ausonia, P. caprai, P elisabethae, P. brevistyla, Nemoura mortoni, N. obtuse, Leuctra rosinae, L. festai, L. teriolensis, Isoperla rivulorum, Perlodes intricatus, Siphonoperla montana, Chloroperla susemicheli), Diptera (e.g. Diamesa spp., Chironomus spp., Orthocladius spp., Eukiefferiella spp., Tvetenia calvescens, Prosimulium spp., Simulium spp., Dicranota spp., Rhypholophus spp., Tricyphona spp., Thaumalea spp.)

Vertebrates: Fish: Salmo trutta, Cottus gobio, Thymallus thymallus; Birds: Cinclus cinclus

For full habitat description, please download the habitat factsheet.

Threat status

Synthesis of Red List assessment

A full quantitative assessment of the decline in abiotic and biotic quality and quantity was not possible for this habitat. Despite, the assessment according to criterion A1 (trends in quantity over 50 years) and criterion B (restricted geography) resulted to be Least Concern (LC), but the assessment has a relatively low certainty due to large data gaps.

EU
Red List Category	Red List Criteria
Least Concern	-

Europe
Red List Category	Red List Criteria
Least Concern	-

Confidence in the assessment

low

Red List of habitat categories and criteria descriptions

European Red List of Habitats categories

Based on Scientific Foundations for an IUCN Red List of Ecosystems

European Red List of Habitats criteria

Reduction in quantity (area of distribution)	A	A1 Present decline (over last 50 years) A2a Future decline (over the next 50 years) A2b Future/present decline (over a 50-year period inclunding present and future) A3 Historic decline
Restricted geographic distribution	B	B1 Restricted Extent of Occurrence (EOO) B2 Restricted Area of Occupancy (AOO) B3 Present at few locations
Reduction in abiotic quality	C	C/D1 Reduction in quality over the last 50 years C/D2 Reduction in quality in the future or in a period including present and future C/D3 Historic reduction in quality
Reduction in biotic quality	D
Quantitative analysis of probability of collapse	E

From Scientific Foundations for an IUCN Red List of Ecosystems

Pressures and threats

Mining, extraction of materials and energy production

Sand and gravel extraction

Pollution

Pollution to surface waters (limnic, terrestrial, marine & brackish)
Diffuse pollution to surface waters due to agricultural and forestry activities
Diffuse pollution to surface waters due to household sewage and waste waters
Input of contaminants (synthetic substances, non-synthetic substances, radionuclides) - diffuse sources, point sources, acute events

Natural System modifications

Canalisation & water deviation
Modifying structures of inland water courses
Reservoirs
Small hydropower projects, weirs
Surface water abstractions by hydro-energy
Other human induced changes in hydraulic conditions

Climate change

Changes in abiotic conditions
Temperature changes (e.g. rise of temperature & extremes)

Habitat restoration potential

When the habitat is severely damaged, it takes a long time period to restore it. Restoring hydrology might not always be possible. Rises in temperature might not be overcome and might be deleterious to the stenothermic fauna.

Trends in extent
Average current trend in quantity
Decreasing	Decreasing
EU28	EU28+

Trends in quality
Average current trend in quality
Decreasing	Decreasing
EU28	EU28+

Conservation and management needs

Current restoration measures consist of improving the hydrological regime and restoring water quality. Other measures needed for limiting the eutrophication may be regulating farming and agriculture in proximity of the streams and in the areas upstream. Institution of protected areas may be in some cases a good strategy for managing the land use.

List of conservation and management needs

Measures related to agriculture and open habitats

Other agriculture-related measures

Measures related to wetland, freshwater and coastal habitats

Restoring/Improving water quality
Restoring/Improving the hydrological regime
Managing water abstraction

Measures related to spatial planning

Establish protected areas/sites
Manage landscape features

Distribution

For each habitat a distribution map was produced from a wide variety of sources indicating known and potential occurrences of the habitat in 10x10 km grids within Europe. Occurrences in grid cells were given in two classes: actual distribution from relatively reliable sources (surveys, expert knowledge), and potential distribution based on models or less reliable indicators. Please download the fact sheet to see the map.

Geographic occurrence and trends

EU28	Present or presence uncertain	Current area of habitat (Km²)	Recent trend in quantity (last 50 years)	Recent trend in quality (last 50 years)
Austria	Present	Unknown	Decreasing	Decreasing
Bulgaria	Present	Unknown	Decreasing	Decreasing
Germany	Present	1	Decreasing	Decreasing
Italy mainland	Present	22.9	Decreasing	Decreasing
Sardinia	Present	22.9	Decreasing	Decreasing
Sicily	Present	22.9	Decreasing	Decreasing
France mainland	Present	Unknown	Decreasing	Stable
Corsica	Uncertain	Unknown	Decreasing	Stable
Slovenia	Present	5	Decreasing	Decreasing
Finland mainland	Present	68	Stable	Stable
Aland Islands	Uncertain	68	Stable	Stable
Croatia	Present	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Romania	Present	0.3	Decreasing	Unknown
Spain mainland	Present	64	Unknown	Decreasing
Balearic Islands	Uncertain	64	Unknown	Decreasing
Canary Islands	Uncertain	64	Unknown	Decreasing
United Kingdom	Present	Unknown	Decreasing	Stable
Northern Island	Uncertain	Unknown	Decreasing	Stable
Gibraltar	Uncertain	Unknown	Decreasing	Stable
Czech Republic	Present	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Ireland	Uncertain	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Luxembourg	Uncertain	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Malta	Uncertain	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Poland	Present	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Sweden	Present	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Portugal mainland	Present	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Slovakia	Present	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown

EU28 +	Present or presence uncertain	Current area of habitat (Km²)	Recent trend in quantity (last 50 years)	Recent trend in quality (last 50 years)
Switzerland	Present	Unknown	Decreasing	Decreasing
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Present	10	Decreasing	Decreasing
Albania	Present	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Andorra	Uncertain	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Faroe Islands	Uncertain	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Guernsey	Uncertain	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Iceland	Present	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Isle of Man	Uncertain	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Jersey	Uncertain	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Kaliningrad	Uncertain	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Kosovo	Present	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Liechtestein	Uncertain	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Monaco	Uncertain	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Montenegro	Present	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Norway Mainland	Present	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Svalbard	Present	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Serbia	Present	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Vatican City	Uncertain	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)	Present	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown

Extent of Occurrence, Area of Occupancy and habitat area

	Extent of Occurrence (EOO) (Km²)	Area of Occupancy (AOO)	Current estimated Total Area	Comment
EU28	5238400	407	161	This is the area in 6 out of 12 countries
EU28+	5238400	426	171	This is the area in 7 out of 12 countries

AOO = the area occupied by a habitat measured in number of 10x10 km grid cells.
EOO = the area (km2) of the envelope around all occurrences of a habitat (calculated by a minimum convex polygon).

Characteristic species

Not available

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	Alpine rivers and the herbaceous vegetation along their banks	3220	Overlap	http://ec.europa.eu/environm...rective/index_en.htm
Convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats	Revised Annex I of Resolution 4 (1996) of the Bern Convention on endangered natural habitats types using the EUNIS habitat classification (year of revision 2010)	Permanent non-tidal, fast, turbulent watercourses	C2.2	Narrower	https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc....ckColorLogged=FDC864 Resolution No. 4 (1996) of the Bern Convention lists endangered natural habitats requiring specific conservation measures [and the designation of Areas of Special Conservation Interest (ASCIs) forming the Emerald network]

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Permanent non-tidal, fast, turbulent watercourse of montane to alpine regions with mosses

Quick facts

Summary

Threat status

Synthesis of Red List assessment

Confidence in the assessment

European Red List of Habitats categories

European Red List of Habitats criteria

Pressures and threats

Habitat restoration potential

Trends in extent

Average current trend in quantity

Trends in quality

Average current trend in quality

Conservation and management needs

List of conservation and management needs

Distribution

Geographic occurrence and trends

Extent of Occurrence, Area of Occupancy and habitat area

Characteristic species

Legal status

Relation to other habitat types mentioned in legal instruments

Vegetation types

Relation to vegetation types (syntaxa)

Other classifications