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The development of an indicator of the condition of sublittoral rock communities (Phase 1): biological correlations with environmental and anthropogenic variables 2023

Abstract

Under the obligations set by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) (2008/56/EC) to Member States, and in line with the subsequent Commission Decision (2010/477/EC) and the resulting UK Marine Strategy (Part one; Defra 2012), JNCC is developing an indicator of condition for sublittoral rock habitats. This will contribute to the assessment of the Good Environmental Status (GES).

This study sought to advance the development and testing of a condition indicator (composite of multiple indicator species) for sublittoral rock communities. The objectives of the work included the following:

  • Collate environmental and anthropogenic information to support the analysis of the biotic dataset.
  • Assess community variation between sites, substrata and other environmental zones.
  • Understand the influence of abiotic (natural and anthropogenic) factors on community composition.
  • Identify indicator species/morphologies that correlate with aspects of habitat condition (indicator development) using spatial regression methods.
  • Examine methods for extrapolating the indicator results within the relevant region.

Upon completion of the study, JNCC commissioned a second phase of work (Phase 2), the results of which are provided in a second report (JNCC Report 731).

This report may not be fully accessible for all users. If you need a copy in a different or more accessible format, please get in touch.

Resource type Publication

Topic category Environment

Reference date 2023·01·20

Citation
Strong, J.A. & Johnson, M. 2023. The development of an indicator of the condition of sublittoral rock communities (Phase 1): biological correlations with environmental and anthropogenic variables. JNCC Report 727, JNCC, Peterborough, ISSN 0963-8091.

Lineage
This report summarises Phase 1 of the work on the development of the sublittoral rock indicator, reflecting the work which took place in 2017.

Responsible organisation
Communications, JNCC publisher

Limitations on public access No limitations

Use constraints Available under the Open Government Licence 3.0

Metadata date 2023·03·24

Metadata point of contact
Communications, JNCC

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