Report 288
The relationship between Biodiversity Action Plan Priority and Broad Habitat Types, and other woodland classifications
(1998)
Hall, J.E. and Kirby, K.J.
This report discusses the relationships between the Biodiversity Action Plan Priority Habitats; the National Vegetation Classification (NVC); the Peterken Stand Type system; the Forestry Authority Forestry Practice Guides; CORINE; and Annex I of the Habitats Directive.
Introduction
Habitat classification is essential to nature conservation. A
consistent means of labelling vegetation communities is vital if
people are to understand each other without resorting to
long-winded descriptions. For woodland several systems are used by
the forestry and nature conservation organisations. They have been
produced for different purposes, and at different times, but it is
often necessary for individuals to be familiar with several of
them.
Here we discuss the relationships between the Biodiversity
Action Plan Priority Habitats; the National Vegetation
Classification (NVC); the Peterken Stand Type system; the Forestry
Authority Forestry Practice Guides; CORINE; and Annex I of the
Habitats Directive.
Our specific aim is to clarify the relationship between the
Priority Habitats identified by the UK Biodiversity Action Plan
process and the other classification systems. The UK Biodiversity
Action Plan (HMSO 1995) identified six woodland Priority Habitats
(then called Key Habitats) for which Habitat Action Plans (HAPs)
should be produced. Two additional types are also included here, as
they are important semi-natural woodland types, and may be
identified as Priority Habitats in the future.
Action proposed in these HAPs includes, as well as restoration
and expansion targets for each type, completion of the notification
of proposed Special Areas of Conservation (pSACs) and Sites of
Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), and the development of links
with continental Europe. The SSSI notification process uses NVC
(see Appendix 1), and the Habitats Directive requires designation
of SACs for a given set of habitats including certain woodland
types (see Appendix 2 for those that occur in Britain). The main
habitat classification used to relate the different European
systems has been CORINE (Appendix 3), although work to develop a
new European classification - EUNIS - is in progress. In addition,
a great deal of historical data for woodlands throughout Britain
refers to Stand Types (Appendix 4).
The relationship between these different classifications is,
therefore, important if the targets proposed in the HAPs are to be
achieved.
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37 pages
ISSN 0963 8091
Please cite as: Hall, J.E. and Kirby, K.J., (1998), The relationship between Biodiversity Action Plan Priority and Broad Habitat Types, and other woodland classifications, JNCC Report 288, 37 pages, ISSN 0963 8091