Red List habitat classification > RLD - Mires and bogs > RLD2.3a Non-calcareous quaking mire

Non-calcareous quaking mire

Quick facts

Red List habitat type	code RLD2.3a
Threat status
Europe	Vulnerable
EU	Vulnerable
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

Very wet mires with poor fen vegetation. Quaking mires include mires formed by terrestrialization of water bodies which involves formation of floating rafts of peat, typically proceeding from marginal areas towards basin centre, where primary open water pools can remain. Also included in this type are mires without neighbouring water bodies layer but similarly high water saturation leading to quaking conditions occurring in high water throughput percolation mires. The mire basin is always fed by minerotrophic ground water from the catchment area. There is no regular surface patterning connected to water flow. Water quality varies from acidic to moderately acidic. Vegetation is minerotrophic poor fen vegetation including intermediate fen communities (pH below 7). The lack of raised peat domes separate quaking mires from D1.1 Raised bogs, the lack of string patterning and slope from D3.2 Aapa mires and the lack of true rich fen indicator species (Scorpidium spp. et al.) from D4.1c Calcareous quaking mires.

Non-calcareous quaking mires are characterized by poor fen to medium rich vegetation including Calla palustris, Carex limosa, Carex rostrata, Carex aquatilis, Eriophorum angustifolium, Equisetum fluviatile, Menyanthes trifoliata, Potentilla palustris, Rhynchospora alba, Scheuchzeria palustris and Utricularia intermedia among vascular plants. Sphagnum cuspidatum, Sphagnum platyphyllum, Sphagnum subsecundum, Sphagnum majus and Warnstofia spp. are characteristic among bryophytes. Hepatics are sometimes abundant, most typically Cladopodiella fluitans. Floating peat rafts may also form surfaces elevated from water level with for example Sphagnum fallax and Eriophorum vaginatum or Molinia caerulea. When the floating peat raft becomes thick enough nearly ombrotrophic hummock like surfaces with e.g. Sphagnum magellanicum, Andromeda polifolia and Vaccinium oxycoccos can occurr. Even in such cases deep-rooted minerotrophic vascular plants like Menyanthes trifoliata can be found. Excluded are stands of vegetation fringing water bodies (see C3.2) unless the vegetation raft is sufficiently extensive to count as a habitat in its own right.

Indicators of good quality:

water table always at surface; it can always be readily observed
packing density of peat is low, walk-on leads to characteristic yielding (quaking)
drainage ditches may affect quaking mires by lowering water level either permanently or increasing fluctuation and, thus, the likeliness of temporal drought or flooding with polluted water
deteriorating quality is indicated by loss of wet mire area associated species e.g. among birds, increase of trees and bushes, and of hummock vegetation

Characteristic species

For full habitat description, please download the habitat factsheet.

Threat status

Synthesis of Red List assessment

There is a strong negative trend in large parts of Europe, especially in Central Europe, but this negative trend is overshadowed by a smaller trend and much larger remaining areas in the boreal countries. Although an assessment for Central Europe would possibly lead to the category Endangered, the average decline in Europe leads to the conclusion Least Concern. However, the trend in quality (assessed under criterion C/D1) is large in Sweden as well, leading to an overall conclusion of Vulnerable (VU) . Eutrophication of water bodys and drainage are the main threats to this habitat type.

EU
Red List Category	Red List Criteria
Vulnerable	C/D1

Europe
Red List Category	Red List Criteria
Vulnerable	C/D1

Confidence in the assessment

medium

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

Pollution

Pollution to surface waters (limnic, terrestrial, marine & brackish)
Nutrient enrichment (N, P, organic matter)
Pollution to groundwater (point sources and diffuse sources)
Diffuse groundwater pollution due to agricultural and forestry activities

Natural System modifications

Human induced changes in hydraulic conditions
Landfill, land reclamation and drying out, general
Polderisation
Modification of hydrographic functioning, general
Modifying structures of inland water courses
Modification of standing water bodies

Habitat restoration potential

Floating vegetation mats directly depend on water level and water quality of their lake and can be relatively easy be restored, if water chemistry and water level of the lake is restored. Quaking areas in percolation mires will need a very long time to regenerate after rewetting if the regulatory mechanism of the peat body are destroyed by drainage.

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

Efforts have been undertaken in the last decades to restore the hydrological systems of the respective mires. Floating vegetation mats directly depend on water level and water quality of their lake. Under optimal conditions mats of floating sphagnum mosses can grow rapidly. However, quaking areas in percolation mires (with much higher species richness) will need a very long time to regenerate after rewetting if the regulatory mechanism of the peat body has been destroyed by drainage.

List of conservation and management needs

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

Legal protection of habitats and species

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	24	Decreasing	Unknown
Belgium	Present	unknown	Decreasing	Decreasing
Bulgaria	Present	0.5	Decreasing	Decreasing
Czech Republic	Present	10	Decreasing	Decreasing
Denmark	Present	20	Unknown	Unknown
Estonia	Present	50	Stable	Unknown
Finland mainland	Present	830	Decreasing	Decreasing
Aland Islands	Uncertain	830	Decreasing	Decreasing
France mainland	Present	12	Decreasing	Decreasing
Corsica	Uncertain	12	Decreasing	Decreasing
Germany	Present	2	Decreasing	Decreasing
Hungary	Present	0.1	Decreasing	Decreasing
Ireland	Present	94	Unknown	Unknown
Italy mainland	Present	30	Decreasing	Decreasing
Sardinia	Present	30	Decreasing	Decreasing
Sicily	Present	30	Decreasing	Decreasing
Latvia	Present	unknown	Decreasing	Decreasing
Lithuania	Present	7	Decreasing	Decreasing
Netherlands	Present	11	Stable	Increasing
Poland	Present	60	Stable	Decreasing
Romania	Present	1	Decreasing	Stable
Slovakia	Present	0.5	Stable	Decreasing
Spain mainland	Present	65	Decreasing	Decreasing
Sweden	Present	4500	Decreasing	Decreasing
Portugal mainland	Present	0.2	Decreasing	Decreasing

EU28 +	Present or presence uncertain	Current area of habitat (Km²)	Recent trend in quantity (last 50 years)	Recent trend in quality (last 50 years)
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Present	0.3	Stable	Stable
Switzerland	Present	12	Stable	Stable

Extent of Occurrence, Area of Occupancy and habitat area

	Extent of Occurrence (EOO) (Km²)	Area of Occupancy (AOO)	Current estimated Total Area	Comment
EU28	9973750	13693	about 5500	AOO and EOO incl. potential distribution
EU28+	13711		> 5500	AOO and EOO incl. potential distribution

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

The full list of characteristic species and genus are available above from the Summary. The species available in the EUNIS database are shown here.

Birds Tringa glareola

Ferns Equisetum fluviatile

Flowering Plants Andromeda polifolia

Flowering Plants Calla palustris

Flowering Plants Carex appropinquata

Flowering Plants Carex aquatilis

Flowering Plants Carex chordorrhiza

Flowering Plants Carex diandra

Flowering Plants Carex lasiocarpa

Flowering Plants Carex lepidocarpa

Flowering Plants Carex limosa

Flowering Plants Carex pauciflora

Flowering Plants Carex rostrata

Flowering Plants Carex vesicaria

Flowering Plants Cicuta virosa

Flowering Plants Drosera intermedia

Flowering Plants Drosera longifolia

Flowering Plants Drosera rotundifolia

Flowering Plants Eriophorum angustifolium

Flowering Plants Eriophorum gracile

Flowering Plants Eriophorum vaginatum

Flowering Plants Hydrocotyle vulgaris

Flowering Plants Menyanthes trifoliata

Flowering Plants Molinia caerulea

Flowering Plants Nuphar lutea

Flowering Plants Pedicularis palustris

Flowering Plants Potentilla palustris

Flowering Plants Rhynchospora alba

Flowering Plants Rhynchospora fusca

Flowering Plants Rubus chamaemorus

Flowering Plants Scheuchzeria palustris

Flowering Plants Typha latifolia

Flowering Plants Utricularia intermedia

Flowering Plants Utricularia minor

Flowering Plants Utricularia vulgaris

Flowering Plants Vaccinium oxycoccos

Flowering Plants Vaccinium uliginosum

Mosses & Liverworts Calliergon cordifolium

Mosses & Liverworts Calliergon giganteum

Mosses & Liverworts Calliergon richardsonii

Mosses & Liverworts Calliergonella cuspidata

Mosses & Liverworts Scorpidium revolvens

Mosses & Liverworts Scorpidium scorpioides

Mosses & Liverworts Sphagnum angustifolium

Mosses & Liverworts Sphagnum cuspidatum

Mosses & Liverworts Sphagnum denticulatum

Mosses & Liverworts Sphagnum fallax

Mosses & Liverworts Sphagnum lindbergii

Mosses & Liverworts Sphagnum magellanicum

Mosses & Liverworts Sphagnum majus

Mosses & Liverworts Sphagnum platyphyllum

Mosses & Liverworts Sphagnum pulchrum

Mosses & Liverworts Sphagnum riparium

Mosses & Liverworts Sphagnum rubellum

Mosses & Liverworts Sphagnum squarrosum

Mosses & Liverworts Sphagnum subsecundum

Mosses & Liverworts Sphagnum teres

Mosses & Liverworts Straminergon stramineum

Mosses & Liverworts Warnstorfia exannulata

Mosses & Liverworts Warnstorfia fluitans

Species scientific name	English common name	Species group
Tringa glareola	Wood Sandpiper	Birds
Equisetum fluviatile		Ferns
Andromeda polifolia		Flowering Plants
Calla palustris		Flowering Plants
Carex appropinquata		Flowering Plants
Carex aquatilis		Flowering Plants
Carex chordorrhiza		Flowering Plants
Carex diandra		Flowering Plants
Carex lasiocarpa		Flowering Plants
Carex lepidocarpa		Flowering Plants
Carex limosa		Flowering Plants
Carex pauciflora		Flowering Plants
Carex rostrata		Flowering Plants
Carex vesicaria		Flowering Plants
Cicuta virosa		Flowering Plants
Drosera intermedia		Flowering Plants
Drosera longifolia		Flowering Plants
Drosera rotundifolia		Flowering Plants
Eriophorum angustifolium		Flowering Plants
Eriophorum gracile		Flowering Plants
Eriophorum vaginatum		Flowering Plants
Hydrocotyle vulgaris		Flowering Plants
Menyanthes trifoliata		Flowering Plants
Molinia caerulea		Flowering Plants
Nuphar lutea		Flowering Plants
Pedicularis palustris		Flowering Plants
Potentilla palustris		Flowering Plants
Rhynchospora alba		Flowering Plants
Rhynchospora fusca		Flowering Plants
Rubus chamaemorus		Flowering Plants
Scheuchzeria palustris		Flowering Plants
Typha latifolia		Flowering Plants
Utricularia intermedia		Flowering Plants
Utricularia minor		Flowering Plants
Utricularia vulgaris		Flowering Plants
Vaccinium oxycoccos		Flowering Plants
Vaccinium uliginosum		Flowering Plants
Calliergon cordifolium		Mosses & Liverworts
Calliergon giganteum		Mosses & Liverworts
Calliergon richardsonii		Mosses & Liverworts
Calliergonella cuspidata		Mosses & Liverworts
Scorpidium revolvens		Mosses & Liverworts
Scorpidium scorpioides		Mosses & Liverworts
Sphagnum angustifolium		Mosses & Liverworts
Sphagnum cuspidatum		Mosses & Liverworts
Sphagnum denticulatum		Mosses & Liverworts
Sphagnum fallax		Mosses & Liverworts
Sphagnum lindbergii		Mosses & Liverworts
Sphagnum magellanicum		Mosses & Liverworts
Sphagnum majus		Mosses & Liverworts
Sphagnum platyphyllum		Mosses & Liverworts
Sphagnum pulchrum		Mosses & Liverworts
Sphagnum riparium		Mosses & Liverworts
Sphagnum rubellum		Mosses & Liverworts
Sphagnum squarrosum		Mosses & Liverworts
Sphagnum subsecundum		Mosses & Liverworts
Sphagnum teres		Mosses & Liverworts
Straminergon stramineum		Mosses & Liverworts
Warnstorfia exannulata		Mosses & Liverworts
Warnstorfia fluitans		Mosses & Liverworts

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	Transition mires and quaking bogs	7140	Narrower	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)	Transition mires and quaking bogs	D2.3	Same	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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Sections

Non-calcareous quaking mire

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