Red list of Natura 2000 habitat types of Poland

Abstract

The deterioration of conservation status of ecosystems, loss of habitats and extinction of species call for actions to halt these negative processes. The starting point is to determine the threat status of specific nature components which may be achieved, for example, by the development of red lists.This paper presents the current threat status of natural habitats listed in Annex I to the Habitats Directive (HD) in Poland. Threat categories were based on the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) division, while threat status assessment of habitats was carried out using a simple method taking into account limitations resulting from the quality of available data. The assessment was based on four criteria: Current habitat area of occupancy, area trend, habitat structure and function status and sum of pressures to habitat. Data were derived from reports on the conservation status of natural habitats in alpine and continental bioregions, submitted to the European Commission (EC) in 2019. Out of 77 habitats, 2 and 8, respectively, were classified as Critically Endangered (CR), 5 and 19 as Endangered (EN), 10 and 23 as Vulnerable (VU), 15 and 18 as Near Threatened (NT) and 8 and 2 as Least Concern (LC). In the alpine region, the largest share of CR + EN habitats was in the habitat group of water habitats, grasslands and heaths and shrubs. In the continental region, only in the habitat group of forests were there no CR or EN habitats, and the degree of threat to habitats was significantly higher than in the alpine region. Threats to natural habitats in the alpine region most often result from their small area and the tendency to area decline. On the other hand, in the continental region, habitat structure and function distortions, strong environmental pressure and small area equally contribute to habitat threat.