Low coverage of fauna and flora of mediolittoral rock and boulders
Quick facts
| Red List habitat type | code NEAA1.17 |
|---|---|
| Threat status | |
| Europe | Least Concern |
| EU | Least Concern |
| Relation to |
|
| Source | European Red List habitat factsheet |
| European Red List of habitats reports | |
| European Red List of habitats (Excel table) |
Summary
This habitat can be very extensive. It occurs in very exposed conditions, comprising rocks and boulders in upper, mid- and lower mediolittoral with lichens, barnacles, limpets, mussels and fucoids but not organised in communities. There is a high percentage of bare rock and a low species diversity.
Indicators of quality:
Both biotic and abiotic indicators have been used to describe marine habitat quality. These include: the presence of characteristic species as well as those which are sensitive to the pressures the habitat may face; water quality parameters; levels of exposure to particular pressure, and more integrated indices which describe habitat structure and function, such as trophic index, or successional stages of development in habitats that have a natural cycle of change over time.
There are no commonly agreed indicators of quality for this habitat, although particular parameters may have been set in certain situations e.g. protected features within Natura 2000 sites, where reference values have been determined and applied on a location-specific basis. Indicators which have been developed for the assessment of ecological quality of coastal water bodies for the Water Framework Directive (WFD) that are relevant to this habitat include a consideration of macroalgae species richness, proportions of different taxa of algae present, and the abundance and coverage of the rocky surfaces by typical species.
Threat status
Synthesis of Red List assessment
| EU | |
| Red List Category | Red List Criteria |
| Least Concern | - |
| Europe | |
| Red List Category | Red List Criteria |
| Least Concern | - |
Confidence in the assessment
Pressures and threats
- Pollution
- Marine water pollution
- Oil spills in the sea
- Climate change
- Changes in abiotic conditions
- Temperature changes (e.g. rise of temperature & extremes)
- Wave exposure changes
- Sea-level changes
- Changes in biotic conditions
- Habitat shifting and alteration
- Migration of species (natural newcomers)
Habitat restoration potential
Trends in extent |
|
Average current trend in quantity |
|
Stable  |
Stable |
| EU28 | EU28+ |
Trends in quality |
|
Average current trend in quality |
|
| Stable |
Stable |
| EU28 | EU28+ |
Conservation and management needs
More general beneficial measures include pollution control and regulation, contingency plans to be followed in the event of major pollution incidents, and measures to reduce global warming and sea level rise.
List of conservation and management needs
- Measures related to marine habitats
- Other marine-related measures
- Measures related to spatial planning
- Other marine-related measures
Distribution
Geographic occurrence and trends
| Seas | Present or presence uncertain | Current area of habitat (Km2) | Recent trend in quantity (last 50 years) | Recent trend in quality (last 50 years) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay of Biscay and the Iberian Coast | Present | Unknown | Stable | Stable |
| Celtic Seas | ||||
| Kattegat | ||||
| Greater North Sea | ||||
| Macaronesia |
Extent of Occurrence, Area of Occupancy and habitat area
| Extent of Occurrence (EOO) (Km2) | Area of Occupancy (AOO) | Current estimated Total Area | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EU28 | unknown | unknown | unknown | Insufficient records for reliable estimate. |
| EU28+ | unknown | unknown | Insufficient records for reliable estimate. |
EOO = the area (km2) of the envelope around all occurrences of a habitat (calculated by a minimum convex polygon).
