Section 4 - Technical guidance - Coastal
| Feature | Feature detail | Unit of measurement |
|---|---|---|
| C01 - Coastal salt-marsh - BAP habitat | - | hectares |
| C02 - Coastal sand dunes - BAP habitat | - | hectares |
| C03 - Coastal vegetated shingle - BAP habitat | - | hectares |
| C04 - Littoral and sub littoral chalk - BAP habitat | - | hectares |
| C05 - Maritime cliff and slope - BAP habitat | - | hectares |
| C06 - Mudflats - BAP habitat | - | hectares |
| C07 - Saline Lagoon - BAP habitat | - | hectares |
See also:
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C01 - Coastal Salt-marsh - BAP habitat
- This is the inter-tidal area of fine muds and silts, vegetated by salt-tolerant plants.
- Pioneer species, including glassworts and sea-lavender, occur at low and mid levels through to transitional habitats (up to one metre above highest astronomical tides) where species such as Sea Worm-wood and Sea Club-rush also occur.
| At least four of the following plants are at least occasional: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Saltmarsh-grasses | Thrift | Sea club-rush |
| Red fescue | Autumn hawkbit | Sea-spurreys |
| Slender spike-rush | Sea-purslane | Sea rush |
| Arrow-grass | Sea-lavenders | Wild celery |
| Saltmarsh rush | Glaucous sedge | Annual sea-blite |
| Sea wormwood | Sea aster | Saltmarsh flat-sedge |
| Sea plantain | Sea-milkwort | Long-bracted sedge |
Condition assessment
- Cover of salt-marsh species in the mid-marsh to upper marsh salt-marsh communities must be between 35% and 85%.
- A variety of physical features including saline pools, salt-marsh creeks, saltpans and freshwater intrusions are present.
- Transitional habitats at higher levels must have less than 5% of undesirable species (spear thistle, creeping thistle, broad-leaved dock, curled dock, common ragwort, perennial rye-grass, common nettle, white clover and invasive non-native species).
C02 - Coastal sand dunes
- These are deposits of blown sand with a complex mosaic of habitats vegetated by specialised plants.
- They range from strandline habitats that are vegetated by annual species to embryonic and mobile dunes that are dominated by marram, sand couch or lyme-grass and finally to more stable dunes vegetated by fixed dune grassland, scrub, heathland, or dune slack wetland vegetation.
| At least eight of the following species are at least occasional: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Early hair-grass | Lady's bedstraw | Selfheal |
| False oat-grass | Dove's-foot crane's-bill | Yellow rattle |
| Purple milk-vetch | Cat's-ear | Wild thyme |
| Sand sedge | Fairy flax | White clover |
| Glaucous sedge | Common bird's-foot-trefoil | Biting stonecrop |
| Common mouse-ear | Field wood-rush | Germander speedwell |
| Smooth hawk's-beard | Red bartsia | Heath dog-violet |
| Common stork's-bill | Restharrows | Common dog-violet |
| Eyebrights | Mouse-ear hawkweed | Wild pansy |
| Red fescue | Ribwort plantain | |
| At least six of the following species are at least occasional: | ||
| Early hair-grass | Heath bedstraw | Tormentil |
| Common bent | Cat's-ear | Wild thyme |
| Purple milk-vetch | Common bird's-foot-trefoil | White clover |
| Sand sedge | Field wood-rush | Germander speedwell |
| Pill sedge | Mouse-ear hawkweed | Heath dog-violet |
| Wavy hair-grass | Heath milkwort | |
| Sheep's fescue | Ribwort plantain | |
Condition assessment
- The full range of sand dune zonation and succession is present and intact. This covers embryo dunes adjacent to the strandline, through to shifting dunes and fixed dune grassland (or heath) in more stable areas and may include dune slack wetlands (seasonal or permanent).
- Scrub cover of undesirable species (sea buckthorn (except on the east coast) and bramble) is less than 5% across the site as a whole.
- Extent of bare sand (small-scale footpath erosion, small sandy clifflets, natural sand blow-outs and open areas within foredunes) is between 5% and 15%.
C03 - Coastal vegetated shingle
- Coastal shingle which can support distinctive patterns of specialised vegetation and associated invertebrates and birds.
- Do not count shingle which is not vegetated or narrow lines of plants along the top of shingle beaches.
- At least four of the following species are at least occasional: sea-kale, sea beet, yellow-horned poppy, sea campion, sea pea, bristly oxtongue.
Condition assessment
- Presence of zonation and succession of typical habitats and vegetation of coastal shingle deposits.
- Undesirable species (spear thistle, common ragwort, bracken, red valerian, common nettle, gorse, tree lupin, tamarisk and invasive non-native species) must cover no more than 5%.
- Pools, ponds and hollows are present within the shingle structure (may retain permanent or temporary standing water).
C04 - Littoral and sub littoral chalk
- Exposed coastal chalk mainly in cliffs or gently sloping platforms.
- This rare habitat occurs sporadically on the south and east coasts from Dorset to Humberside, but mainly in Kent and Sussex.
Condition assessment
If the site is a SSSI use the latest condition assessment from EN, otherwise leave the box blank.
C05 - Maritime cliff and slope
- Heathland or unimproved grassland on maritime cliffs or slopes.
- Includes the clifftop vegetation which is influenced by salt spray.
- Characteristic species include red fescue, thrift, sea plantain, buck's-horn plantain and sometimes heathers.
- Often in a mosaic with scrub, bracken, wet flushes and, locally, natural slippages.
Condition assessment
- Average sward height of grazed grassland on cliff tops must not exceed a height of ten centimetres at the end of the grazing season.
- Cover of bracken and scrub must be no more than occasional throughout the site.
- Undesirable plants (spear thistle, creeping thistle, broad-leaved dock, curled dock, common ragwort, perennial rye-grass, common nettle, white clover and invasive non-native species) must be no more than rare.
- Presence of a no-input buffer of at least 20 metres between cliff-top and intensively-farmed land.
C06 - Mudflats
- The unvegetated (although they can be covered with algae) part of inter-tidal habitats.
- Consist of fine sediment which is usually a valuable resource for wildlife.
- Occur especially in estuaries.
Condition assessment
- Cover of eelgrasses or glassworts must not exceed 10%.
- No indication of increased erosion.
- Evidence of invertebrate communities (lugworm casts visible, feeding birds present).
C07 - Saline lagoons
- Coastal saline water bodies that are partially separated from the sea.
- They normally retain at least some water, although salinity and water levels can fluctuate.
- They are topped up with sea water at least occasionally.
Condition assessment
- Algal blooms must not exceed 20% of the water surface.
- Vegetation on any mud or shingle islands must not exceed 10%.
- Percentage of water area in the saline lagoon at all times of year and at all states of tide must be between 60% and 80%, with a wide shallow area of exposed mud or 'beach' during summer draw-down.
Page last modified:
19 May, 2005
Page published: 3 March, 2005