Site Specific Conservation Objectives

Site-specific conservation objectives aim to define favourable conservation condition for Habitats Directive Annex I habitats, Annex II species at a site level and the SPA special conservation interest "wetlands and waterbirds". This project relates to the following Annex I habitats and Annex II species at specific SAC sites and SPA special conservation interest "wetlands and waterbirds"at specific SPA sites: - Sandbanks which are slightly covered by sea water all the time (1110) - Estuaries (1130) - Mudflats and sandflats not covered by sea water at low tide (1140) - Coastal lagoons (1150) - Large shallow inlets and bays (1160) - Reefs (1170) - Annual vegetation of drift lines (1210) - Perennial vegetation of stony banks (1220) - Vegetated sea cliffs of the Atlantic and Baltic coasts (1230) - Salicornia and other annuals colonising mud and sand (1310) - Atlantic salt meadows (Glauco-Puccinellietalia maritimae) (1330) - Mediterranean salt meadows (Juncetalia maritimae) (1410) - Mediterranean and thermo-Atlantic halophilous scrubs (Sarcocornetea fruticosi) (1420) -Embryonic shifting dunes (2110) - Shifting dunes along the shoreline with Ammophila arenaria ('white dunes') (2120) - Fixed coastal dunes with herbaceous vegetation ('grey dunes') (2130) - Decalcified fixed dunes with Empetrum nigrum (2140) - Atlantic decalcified fixed dunes (Calluno-Ulicetea) (2150) - Dunes with Salix repens ssp. argentea (Salicion arenariae) (2170) - Humid dune slacks (2190) - Machairs ( in Ireland) (21A0) - Turloughs (3180) - Watercourses of plain to montane levels with the Ranunculion fluitantis and Callitricho-Batrachion vegetation (3260) - European dry heaths (4030) - Juniperus communis formations on heaths or calcareous grasslands (5130) - Calaminarian grasslands of the Violetalia calaminariae (6130) - Petrifying springs with tufa formation (Cratoneurion) (7220) - Active raised bogs (7110) - Limestone Pavements (8240) - Submerged or partially submerged sea caves (8330) - Old sessile oak woods with Ilex and Blechnum in the British Isles (91A0) - Bog woodland (91D0) - Alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior (Alno-padion, Alnion incanae, Salicion albae) (91E0) - Taxus baccata woods of the British Isles (91J0) - Marine Community Types

• Geyer's Whorl Snail - Vertigo geyeri (1013)
• Narrow-Mouthed Whorl Snail - Vertigo angustior (1014)
• Desmoulins Whorl Snail - Vertigo moulinsiana (1016)
• Freshwater Pearl Mussel - Margaritifera margaritifera (1029)
• White Clawed Crayfish - Austropotamobius pallipes (1092)
• Sea Lamprey - Petromyzon marinus (1095)
• Brook Lamprey - Lampetra planeri (1096)
• River Lamprey - Lampetra fluviatilis (1099)
• Lesser Horseshoe Bat - Rhinolophus hipposideros (1303)
• Bottlenose Dolphin - Tursiops truncatus (1349)
• Harbour Porpoise - Phocoena phocoena (1351)
• Otter - Lutra lutra (1355)
• Grey Seal - Halichoerus grypus (1364)
• Common / Harbour Seal - Phoca vitulina (1365)
• Petalwort - Petalophyllum ralfsii (1395)
• Killarney Fern - Trichomanes speciosum (1421)
• Slender Naiad - Najas flexilis (1833)
• Nore Freshwater Pearl Mussel - Margaritifera durrovensis (1990)

Favourable conservation condition of a habitat is achieved when: - its natural range, and area it covers within that range, is stable or increasing, and - the ecological factors that are necessary for its long-term maintenance exist and are likely to continue to exist for the foreseeable future, and - the conservation condition of its typical species is favourable

Habitat mapping is used to help define the area and range parameters for conservation objectives Favourable conservation condition of a species is achieved when: - population dynamics data on the species concerned indicate that it is maintaining itself on a long term basis as a viable component of its natural habitats, and - the natural range of the species is neither being reduced nor is likely to be reduced for the foreseeable future, and - there is, and will probably continue to be, a sufficiently large habitat to maintain its populations on a long-term basis

Mapping of species distribution and suitable habitat is used to help define distribution, population and range parameters for conservation objectives This is a national dataset.