THANET COAST SPECIAL AREA OF CONSERVATION 2011 INTERTIDAL MONITORING Thanet Coast Special Area of Conservation: 2011 intertidal monitoring. I.Tittley, B. Chapman, B. Hitchin, C.J.H. Spurrier, Kent Wildlife Trust T. Child Thanet Coast Project February 2012 A research report for Natural England Thanet Coast Project c/o Thanet District Council, PO Box 9, Cecil Street, Margate, Kent CT9 1XZ 01843 577672
[email protected] - 1 - CONTENTS 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 1 INTRODUCTION 4 1.1 Background 4 1.2 Aims and objectives 5 2 METHODS 6 2.1 Introduction 6 2.2 Fieldwork schedule 7 2.3 Caves and cliffs 7 2.4 Reefs 7 2.5 Study area maps 9 3 RESULTS 15 3.1 Quadrat studies 15 3.2 Revised biotope maps 18 3.3 Climate change indicator species 38 4 DISCUSSION 39 4.1 Cave and cliff biotopes 39 4.2 Foreshore reef biotopes 39 4.3 Important biotopes 39 4.4 Re-classification of littoral cliff and cave biotopes 41 4.5 Climate change indicator species 43 4.6 Non native species 45 5 CONCLUSION 48 5.1 Favourable condition 48 5.2 Future monitoring 48 6 REFERENCES 50 APPENDIX 1 - Study area data 53 Epple Bay (EB) 53 Fulsam Rock (FR) 55 White Ness and Botany Bay (WN) 66 North Foreland (NF) 85 Dumpton and Ramsgate (DG) 97 Pegwell (PB) 109 APPENDIX 2 - List of photographs on DVD 115 APPENDIX 3 - List of algae recorded at Fulsam Rock 116 APPENDIX 4 – Contents of DVD 117 APPENDIX 5 – Point to point biotope surveys 118 - 2 - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • The results of monitoring ‘reef’ and ‘sea-cave’ features in the Thanet coast cSAC in autumn 2011 are reported.