The Development of Methodologies to Assess the Conservation Status of Limestone Pavement and Associated Habitats in Ireland
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The development of methodologies to assess the conservation status of limestone pavement and associated habitats in Ireland Irish Wildlife Manuals No. 43 Limestone pavement survey methodology __________________________________ The development of methodologies to assess the conservation status of limestone pavement and associated habitats in Ireland Sue Murphy & Fernando Fernandez Valverde Ecologic Environmental & Ecological Consultants Ltd Citation: Murphy, S. & Fernandez, F. (2009) The development of methodologies to assess the conservation status of limestone pavement and associated habitats in Ireland. Irish Wildlife Manual s, No. 43. National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Dublin, Ireland. Cover photo: © Sue Murphy Irish Wildlife Manuals Series Editor: N. Kingston & F. Marnell © National Parks and Wildlife Service 2009 ISSN 1393 – 6670 Limestone pavement survey methodology __________________________________ CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...........................................................................................................................................1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..........................................................................................................................................2 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................................3 Limestone pavement in Ireland ....................................................................................................................3 Definition of Limestone Pavement ..............................................................................................................3 Habitats and Species associated with limestone pavement in Ireland..................................................4 Limestone pavement and associated habitat classification .....................................................................4 Conservation of limestone pavement ..........................................................................................................5 Scope of the report...........................................................................................................................................7 METHODS ...............................................................................................................................................................9 Site selection.....................................................................................................................................................9 Site survey.......................................................................................................................................................11 General data recorded...................................................................................................................................13 Recording of relevés......................................................................................................................................14 Data collection................................................................................................................................................14 Habitat mapping ............................................................................................................................................14 Vegetation data analysis...............................................................................................................................15 Assessment of EU Annex I habitats conservation status........................................................................18 RESULTS ................................................................................................................................................................23 General site survey ........................................................................................................................................23 Habitat mapping ............................................................................................................................................23 Vegetation data analysis...............................................................................................................................26 Habitat Classification....................................................................................................................................30 Assessment of EU Annex I habitats conservation status........................................................................41 Proposed National Survey and monitoring programme ........................................................................48 DISCUSSION .........................................................................................................................................................51 Habitat Mapping............................................................................................................................................51 Data Analysis and Habitat classification ..................................................................................................51 EU Annex I habitats assessment .................................................................................................................52 CONCLUDING REMARKS ......................................................................................................................................55 BIBLIOGRAPHY & RELEVANT LITERATURE ........................................................................................................56 APPENDIX 1: DETAIL VIEW OF SURVEY UNITS AND PLOTS ...............................................................................59 APPENDIX 2: FIELD CARDS ...................................................................................................................................63 APPENDIX 3: NATIONAL LIMESTONE PAVEMENT DISTRIBUTION MAP ATTRIBUTE TABLE DESCRIPTION .....69 APPENDIX 4: NATIONAL LIMESTONE PAVEMENT HABITAT DISTRIBUTION MAP SOURCES ...........................71 APPENDIX 5: STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR ANNEX I EU HABITATS ................73 APPENDIX 6: FUTURE PROSPECTS ASSESSMENT FOR ANNEX I EU HABITATS ..................................................76 APPENDIX 7: AN EXAMPLE OF HABITAT MAPPING AT PLOT LEVEL (G ORTNANDARRAGH ) ............................79 APPENDIX 8: EU HABITAT STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS ASSESSMENT RESULTS PER SURVEY UNIT ............80 APPENDIX 9: EU HABITAT FUTURE PROSPECTS ASSESSMENT RESULTS PER SURVEY UNIT ............................86 Limestone pavement survey methodology __________________________________ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The objective of this pilot survey was to develop methodologies to assess the conservation status of EU Annex I Habitat Limestone Pavement (8240) and associated habitats in Ireland. Thirty six survey plots within six survey units were surveyed during July and August 2008. These survey plots were sampled across the natural range of limestone pavement and mapped according to EU Annex I and Fossitt (2000) Habitats. Ninety relevés were recorded within four main habitat types; 40 limestone pavement relevés, 25 heath relevés, 18 grassland relevés and 6 scrub relevés. Mosaic relevés were recorded according to the dominant habitat present. In addition, one fen relevé was recorded. The vegetation data analysis methods employed proved useful in separating the four main habitats surveyed; heath, pavement, grassland and scrub. The utilisation of hierarchical cluster analysis on the relevé data revealed four main habitat groups, with two of these groups (limestone pavement and grassland) further dividing into two sub-habitat groups (vegetation types). Each of the four main habitats is grouped fairly broadly and is likely to be relevant at a national scale. If the survey is extended, the addition of more relevé data may refine the description of habitats and vegetation communities further. Targets were set to assess the conservation status of the EU Annex I Habitat Limestone pavement (8240) and associated habitats (i.e. exposed limestone pavement (8240), Festuco-Brometalia grassland (6210/6211) and European Dry Heath (4030)). Quarrying and removal of pavement were identified as the most threatening activity affecting exposed limestone pavement (8240). An overall favourable assessment was given to the EU Annex I Habitat 4030. Unfavourable assessment results for habitat 6210/6211 were the main reason for an overall unfavourable assessment for habitat 8240 when the assessments of the associated habitats were combined. Assessment criteria used in this pilot survey were based on existing methodologies, and may be subject to revision. A National Limestone Pavement habitat distribution map was produced based on a revision of the map generated as part of the limestone pavement habitat (8240) Conservation Status Assessment report commissioned by NPWS in 2007. The revised map indicates that the overall extent of this habitat is 31,000 ha, rather than 36,000 ha as was reported in 2007. The final map contains 403 new limestone pavement areas, which account for 952ha. The addition of these new areas to the original 2007 map and the elimination of areas wrongly classified as limestone pavement in 2007 resulted in the modification of the habitat range map produced in 2007. 1 Limestone pavement survey methodology __________________________________ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project benefited