THE ECOLOGICAL REQUIREMENTS OF WATER-DEPENDENT HABITATS AND SPECIES DESIGNATED UNDER THE HABITATS DIRECTIVE

Article 6 of the Water Framework Directive requires member states to compile a Register of Protected Areas for water-dependent habitats and species lying within each river basin district. A further requirement is the definition of the ecological requirements of these habitats and species to meet conservation objectives and provide linkage to the parameters being used in the classification of water status. Under the NS SHARE (North South Shared Aquatic Resources) project, data for a range of morphological and physico-chemical parameters were collated from existing literature and from consultation with experts for 23 selected habitats and species. Individual data sheets were prepared under a range of headings, and the conservation requirements of each were summarised. The sheets indicate not only the sources of data available but also the major gaps and shortcomings that Could be addressed through further research.