Fal & Helford SAC features & BRUVS Flashcards
1
Q
conservation in the UK
A
- coordination of national devolved governments for Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland along with England in the UK is complicated
- as such, conservation is structured around series of legislations upheld in each of those regions such as…
-> Environmental Protection Act 1990
-> Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 -
2 key public bodies advise governments across UK on these acts and conservation:
-> The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)
-> The Forestry Commission
2
Q
JNCC
A
- guided by joint committee made up of heads of conservation bodies throughout UK
- description of what they do…
“coordinating nature conservation action at a UK level; working in partnerships to provide common approaches, shared solutions & best practice; & providing cost-effective & robust environmental evidence base across the UK” - monitor habitats & environments & also map them
- of particular interest to this topic is their marine monitoring & mapping program
3
Q
EMODnet from
JNCC
^marine monitoring & mapping program
A
- high-quality European seabed mapping project that acts as portal for organisations to share data & interpolate it
- interactive & downloadable maps give you broadscale data on seabed characteristics, bathymetry & biological features in some areas
- coverage is patchy
4
Q
Natural England
(not UK wide)
A
- executive agency of English government concerned with nature & wildlife conservation, landscape protection
- are responsible for protection & monitoring of terrestrial & marine habitats & their classification
- also deliver large scale projects within international funding initiatives eg. ReMEDIES
5
Q
Habitat Designations
(in Natural England)
A
- to meet requirements of habitat legislations / acts & government priorities, NE (Natural England) will designate features of special interest (could include wildlife, landform or geology)
- areas that are identified as having special features may be designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the UK
- these sites now also form basis of interconnected MPAs across UK
6
Q
SSSI Assessment
Criteria / Considerations
A
- typicalness (under-representation is favoured)
- fragility (in structure or biology)
- size (larger sites are likely to contain more species)
- diversity (species richness)
- naturalness (untouched sites are rare)
- rarity (scarcity / threatened)
- natural coherence (part of an interconnected network)
so large, non-typical sites are favoured
7
Q
The Fal and Helford SAC
A
- through identification of series of features, estuary was originally designated under EU habitats directive as Natura 2000 site & a Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
- SAC designation affords one of highest levels of protection available & means its status is consistently monitored
8
Q
SAC Site Features
A
- Annex 1 features listed under EU Habitats Directive as sp / habitats that have special features
- coded with 4-digit number (Natura 2000 code) & these are used on JNCC website & link to EUNIS (European Nature Information System) habitat classification maps
- eg. 1110 Sandbanks which are slightly covered by sea water all the time
9
Q
Site Features: Sandbanks
(Maerl & Seagrass)
A
1110 Sandbanks which are slightly covered by sea water all the time
- important because => well-established & nationally important communities of Maerl & seagrass
- shallow habitats -> so have low exposure => elongated rounded / irregular mound shapes, which are well suited to benthic communities that might grow on them (especially sediment types like Maerl & seagrass)
10
Q
Site Features: Large Shallow Inlets & Bays
A
1160 Large Shallow Inlets * Bays - comprised of interdependent mosaic of subtidal & intertidal habitats
- large indentations of coast, generally more sheltered from wave action than open coast
- quite shallow (water < 30 m over most of area, & in contrast to 1130 estuaries, generally have much lower freshwater influence
- in UK, 3 main sub-types can be identified that meet the Annex I definition …
-
Embayment
-> type of marine inlet where line of coast typically follows concave sweep between rocky headlands, sometimes with only narrow entrance to embayment -
Fjardic sea loch
-> series of shallow basins connected to sea via shallow (sometimes intertidal) sills.
-> found in areas of low-lying ground which have been subject to glacial scouring
-> have highly irregular outline, no main channel & lack high relief & U-shaped cross-section of fjordic sea lochs -
Ria
-> drowned river valley in area of high relief, most have resulted from post-glacial rise in relative sea level
-> in Scotland this sub-type is called a voe
11
Q
Site Features: Atlantic Salt Meadows
(basically saltmarsh)
A
1330 Atlantic salt meadows (Glauco-Puccinellietalia maritimae)
- develop when halophytic vegetation colonises soft intertidal sediments of mud & sand in areas protected from strong wave action
- this vegetation forms middle & upper reaches of saltmarshes, where tidal inundation still occurs but with ↓ freq & duration
- wide range of community types represented & saltmarshes can cover large areas, especially where there’s little / no enclosure on landward side
- vegetation varies with climate & freq & duration of tidal inundation
- grazing by domestic livestock is particularly significant in determining structure & sp composition of habitat type & in determining its relative value for plants, invertebrates & wintering / breeding waterfowl
12
Q
SAC features
overview
A
- framework for identifying & classifying special features of site in UK have been borne out of consultation with scientists & conservation strategies
- written into law through legislations & acts in UK
- Fal & Helford estuary is designated as key conservation area because it has several eg.s of nationally rare, outstanding quality habitats eg. seagrass, maerl, mudflats & salt marsh
- ^these classed as Annex 1 habitats & focus long-term monitoring & conservation efforts
13
Q
BRUVS
A
- Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems
- non-invasive method for collecting ecological data relating to mobile sp
14
Q
BRUV deployment in the Azores
A
calc ecological metrics –
relative / MaxN (no. of individs)
15
Q
application of BRUVS
A
- review of BRUVs application globally
- spatial distribution of pelagic predators
- recovery of UK seabed after MPA designation
