Distribution of Coastal Habitats in Ireland 2013-2018

This data describes the distribution of specific habitats identified in the EU Directive on the Conservation of Habitats, Flora and Fauna, also known as the Habitats Directive. The data is presented in the Habitats Directive Article 17 2019 report called The Status of EU Protected Habitats and Species in Ireland, available here https://www.npws.ie/publications/article-17-reports. This distribution of estuaries, salt marshes, sand dunes, sea cliffs and subtidal sandbanks were mapped over a time period inclusive of 1983 to 2018 by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and its associated entities. A detailed desk study was carried out to catalogue all sea cliff sites in Ireland using 2005 OSI aerial photographs and images of the Irish coastline captured in 2003. A conservation assessment and survey technique were developed (based on the pilot survey completed in 2009) and field surveys and assessments were carried out at 32 cliff sites around Ireland. This work was completed by January 21 2011. The saltmarsh data is used as part of the monitoring of four Annex I saltmarsh habitats Article 17 reporting under the Habitats Directive. A field survey was carried out visiting 86 sites, of which 85 were assessed using data collected in the field from January 1982 to September 2018. The subtidal sandbanks data was prepared as part of Ireland's third 6-yearly report to the EU, for the period 2013 to 2018, on the conservation status of all habitats and species referred to in Article 2 of the Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (the Habitats Directive). The Distribution for the habitat was generated by intersecting the full 10km grid of 2000 grid cells with all known polygon locations for the Annex I Habitat Sandbanks (1110). see NPWS, 2019*, Section 5.15, p.7 for details. Further information: https://www.npws.ie/maps-and-data/habitat-and-species-data/article-17/2019/habitats/coastal-habitats The data represent the best-known distribution of these Annex habitats based on available mapped data, and these annexe habitat distributions may be a subset of Sea Cliffs or Sandbanks or Saltmarsh nationally, other features not meeting the criteria of the given Annex habitat – https://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/legislation/habitatsdirective/docs/Int_Manual_EU28.pdf and https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/A%20Guide%20to%20Habitats%20in%20Ireland%20-%20Fossitt.pdf Vegetated sea cliffs of the Atlantic and Baltic coasts (EU Code 1230) https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/article-17/2019/habitats/1230/1230VegetatedSeaCliffs.zip Sandbanks which are slightly covered by seawater all the time (EU Code 1110) https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/article-17/2019/habitats/1110/1110Sandbanks.zip For ‘Saltmarsh’ there are 4 Annex 1 saltmarsh habitats, namely; • Salicornia and other annuals colonizing mud and sand (1310) • Atlantic salt meadows (Glauco-Puccinellietalia maritimae) (1330) • Mediterranean salt meadows (Juncetalia maritimi) (1410) • Mediterranean & thermo-Atlantic halophilous scrubs (Sarcocornetea fruticosi) (1420) The metadata link from the Atlas metadata acknowledges the 4 annexe habitats, but it is not clear if the single-layer represents all four (ie if MI have created a composite version). However, to note there are actually multiple points and poly files for each of the 4 saltmarsh Annex habitats – see downloads https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/article-17/2019/habitats/1310/1310Salicorniamud.zip https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/article-17/2019/habitats/1330/1330AtlanticSaltMeadows.zip https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/article-17/2019/habitats/1410/1410MediterraneanSaltMeadows.zip https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/article-17/2019/habitats/1420/1420HalophilousScrub.zip