Abstract

The assessment of coherence of marine protected area (MPA) networks requires identification of key habitats and their interconnectivity within a region. The European Union Habitat Directive is a Community legislative instrument in the field of nature conservation that establishes a common framework for the conservation of wild animal and plant species and natural habitats of Community importance. The directive lists today 218 natural habitat types, including 71 habitat types in danger of disappearance. In the northern Baltic Sea five directive habitats are found. All these habitats are characterized by lush benthic vegetation and these are essential fish spawning and nursery areas. In this study we predicted the spatial coverage of the directive habitats by means of GIS spatial modelling and overlay analysis. Within each habitat the distribution of the key habitat forming macroalgal species was modelled. Field data and experimental evidence suggested that these keystone species have different recovery potential. In order to use this knowledge when setting up the network of marine protected areas the values of spatial cover of the species were multiplied by their recovery potential. The overall ecological value of the coastal habitats was expressed as the sum of the weighed surface cover of the directive habitats. The functional relationships between connectivity of directive habitats and biological diversity were established to provide scientific base for the creation of future MPAs and reduce the overall environmental impact of different human pressures.

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