Natura 2000 in the Atlantic Region European Commission Environment Directorate General
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Natura 2000 in the Atlantic Region European Commission Environment Directorate General Author: Kerstin Sundseth, Ecosystems LTD, Brussels. Managing editor: Susanne Wegefelt, European Commission, Nature and Biodiversity Unit B2, B-1049 Brussels. Contributors: John Houston, Mats Eriksson. Acknowledgements: Our thanks to the European Topic Centre on Biological Diversity and the Catholic University of Leuven, Division SADL for providing the data for the tables and maps Graphic design: NatureBureau International Photo credits: Front cover: MAIN Machair, Outer Hebrides, UK; Lorne Gill/SNH; INSETS TOP TO BOTTOM Paul Goriup, Peter Creed, M. Stock, www.burrenbeo.com. Back cover: The Burren, Ireland; www.burrenbeo.com Additional information on Natura 2000 is available from http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers Contents to your questions about the European Union The Atlantic Region – Europe’s western fringe ..... ........ p. 3 New freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 Natura 2000 species in the Atlantic Region .................. p. 5 (*) Certain mobile telephone operators do not allow Map of Natura 2000 sites in the Atlantic Region ............p. 6 access to 00 800 numbers or these calls may be billed. Natura 2000 habitat types in the Atlantic Region .........p. 8 Information on the European Union is available on the Management issues in the Atlantic Region .....................p. 10 Internet (http://ec.europa.eu). Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2009 © European Communities, 2009 2009 – 12 pp – 21 x 29.7 cm ISBN 978-92-79-11728-2 DOI 10.2779/82343 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. The photos are under copyright, none may be used without prior written approval of the photographers. Printed in Belgium Printed on recycled paper that has been awarded the EU eco-label for graphic paper http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel 2 Natura 2000 in the Atlantic Region Europe’s western fringe western Europe’s Jutland coastline, Denmark Photo © John Houston around 12 million migratory birds at various times of The Atlantic Region the year. This abundance of life continues beneath the waves. The – Europe’s western fringe Gulf Stream, which travels right up to the north coast of Scotland and Norway, brings warm currents all year round and a rich supply of nutrients from the Caribbean. The Atlantic Region stretches from the top of the United In the shallower waters of the continental shelf and the Kingdom and Ireland down to the northern shores of North Sea, this creates an ideal environment for a wide Spain and Portugal, encompassing all of the Netherlands array of marine organisms from plankton, crustaceans, and parts of Germany, Denmark, Belgium and France bivalves and fish to seabirds and mammals at the top of along the way. Nowhere is more than 300 km away from the food-chain. the sea and because much of the land is flat and low- lying, the oceanic climate penetrates far inland bringing The North-east Atlantic is in fact one of the richest mild winters, cool summers, predominantly westerly oceans in the world, but it is also one of the most winds and moderate rainfall throughout the year. heavily used. As such it is under constant pressure from overfishing, pollution, abstraction and shipping traffic. This region includes over half of Europe’s long, indented coastline and two of the most productive seas in the On land, the situation is rather different. The most recent world: the North Sea and North-east Atlantic Ocean. glaciation, which ended some 10,000 years ago, had a considerable effect in reducing the biodiversity of the The powerful forces of tide, wind and waves acting upon region. So too has the long history of human an alternating substratum of hard bedrock and soft exploitation, which has created a heavily altered and sedimentary stone are largely responsible for the often degraded environment. formation of this very varied and dynamic coastline, rich in habitats and species. Wind swept cliffs, exposed rocky Under natural conditions, forests would have been the headlands and narrow tidal inlets contrast sharply with dominant habitat but these have been systematically long stretches of sandy beaches, sheltered bays and cleared since the Middle Ages. The undulating extensive intertidal mudflats. topography and long growing seasons provide ideal conditions for modern production systems that now Several of Europe’s most important rivers drain off into cover a significant part of the countryside. the sea along the Atlantic coast, (the Gironde, Loire, Rhine, Thames, Seine, Schelde) creating vast estuaries of Today, the landscape is predominantly agricultural, high economic and biological value. with heavily urbanised areas. As a result, many natural and semi-natural habitats now only exist as isolated, In terms of species, the Atlantic Region may not exhibit fragmented patches scattered amidst an otherwise the high levels of biodiversity found in other regions mostly artificial landscape. Pollution from heavy but it more than makes up for this in terms of sheer pesticide or fertiliser use and industrial effluents further animal abundance. The Waddensea alone harbours exacerbate these problems. Natura 2000 in the Atlantic Region 3 The Atlantic Region is indeed one of the most heavily % of EU populated and intensely managed areas in Europe. Region Countries involved territory Over 100 million people live and work in the area Atlantic Belgium, Germany, Denmark, 18.4 (almost a quarter of the EU population). Outside the Spain, France, Ireland, Portugal, capital cities of Paris, London, Brussels or Amsterdam, Netherlands, United Kingdom human densities can still reach 360 inhabitants/km² in Boreal Estonia, Finland, Latvia, 18.8 certain areas. This puts massive pressure on the Lithuania, Sweden natural environment and presents a particular Continental Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech 29.3 challenge for the conservation of rare species and Republic, Germany, Denmark, habitats both within and outside Natura 2000 sites. France, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia Alpine Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Spain, 8.6 Finland, France, Italy, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia Pannonian Czech Republic, Hungary, 3.0 Romania, Slovakia Steppic Romania 0.9 Black Sea Bulgaria, Romania 0.3 Europe’s western fringe western Europe’s Mediterranean Cyprus, Spain, France, Greece, 20.6 Italy, Malta, Portugal Macaronesian Spain, Portugal 0.2 Source: European Topic Centre on Biological Diversity (European Environment Agency) http://biodiversity.eionet.europa.eu October 2008 4 Natura 2000 in the Atlantic Region Natura 2000 species in the © Jim Asher Photo Atlantic Region Despite favourable climatic conditions, the number of species present in the Atlantic Region is relatively poor, reflecting the durable effects of the last Ice Age and the long history of human settlements. Fifty-two of the flora species listed in Annex II of the Habitats Directive are present here, of which 14 are endemic. The rate of The marsh fritillary Euphydryas aurinia endemism is the lowest of all the biogeographical regions The marsh fritillary is a characteristic species of flower-rich and is generally restricted to the northern Iberian Peninsula. wet or dry grassland habitats. It is entirely dependent on a single host plant, the devil’s-bit scabious Succisa pratensis which is found in abundance in extensively 2000 species Natura Many of the listed flora species are closely associated with grazed grasslands. The species survives in ever-changing typical Atlantic habitats. They include the grass Festuca meta-populations, formed by a number of linked summilusitana which is found only in the Northern Iberian subpopulations which may frequently die out and re- coastal heaths, Angelica heterocarpa which thrives on the establish themselves nearby. banks of the estuaries along the French Atlantic coast, and the early gentian Gentianella anglica which occurs in chalk Much of the unimproved grassland has disappeared grasslands in the UK. in the last century, causing severe fragmentation of the remaining habitat and a massive drop in butterfly populations across Europe. Nowadays the butterfly only Bryophytes are also well represented. Amongst them is survives in areas where there is a sufficient cluster of the rare petalwort Petalophyllum ralfsii which is suitable sites within the wider countryside to allow for the confined to the wet slack habitats of the sand dunes. It natural cycle of recolonisation and local extinction. This in is an excellent indicator of the overall health of dynamic turn requires a landscape approach to their conservation. dune systems as it requires new wind-formed damp hollows in the sand to survive. It is not found in dunes that are over-stabilised. In terms of fauna, 80 species listed on the Habitats British Isles and the Waddensea. Bottlenose dolphins and Directive are found in the Atlantic Region. Over a third are harbour porpoises are present in significant numbers invertebrates, ranging from rare butterflies and all the way along the coast from Denmark to Northern dragonflies to land snails such as the tiny Desmoulin’s Spain. Although populations appear high (350,000 whorl snail Vertigo angustior and the freshwater pearl harbour porpoises) they are under constant pressure from mussel Margaritifera durrovensis which is endemic to the unacceptably high levels of by-catch in fisheries and the region. Many species of bats are also present especially harmful effects of pollutants such as PCBs, cadmium and around the border regions of Belgium and France where mercury which bio-accumulate in their bodies. the extensive cave systems and ancient fortifications provide ideal roosting sites for these species. Waterfowl and waders also flock to the area in large numbers, especially during the winter, to escape the The Atlantic Region is perhaps best known for its harsh conditions of the Arctic North and to find shelter abundant marine life. Europe’s greatest concentrations in the nutrient-rich coastal wetlands of the Atlantic and of harbour seals are located around the shores of the North Sea coasts.