Common Standards Monitoring Guidance for ... - JNCC - Defra

Common Standards Monitoring Guidance for Standing Waters
Contents
1.Introduction 2
1.1 Standing water features ................................................................................................................2
1.1.1 Habitats .................................................................................................................................2
1.1.2 Plant species ..........................................................................................................................3
2. Attributes and targets.......................................................................................................................3
2.1 Habitat features.............................................................................................................................4
2.1.1. Biological attributes .............................................................................................................4
2.1.2 Non-biological attributes.......................................................................................................5
2.2 Vascular plant features and rare vascular plants.........................................................................11
2.3. Indicators of local distinctiveness..............................................................................................11
2.4. Aspects of environmental disturbance.......................................................................................11
3. Monitoring………………… ..........................................................................................................12
3.1 Approach to biological attribute monitoring ..............................................................................12
3.2 Preparation for monitoring of biological attributes ....................................................................12
3.2.1 Timing of surveys................................................................................................................12
3.2.2 Selection of water bodies to be examined ...........................................................................12
3.2.3 Choice of locations within lakes to be surveyed .................................................................13
3.3 Methods for monitoring..............................................................................................................13
3.3.1 Skill requirements for macrophyte work.............................................................................13
3.3.2. Methodology ......................................................................................................................13
3.3.3 Outputs from field work......................................................................................................13
3.3.4 Other legal responsibilities relevant to surveyors ...............................................................13
4. Condition assessment......................................................................................................................13
4.1 Habitat features...........................................................................................................................14
4.1.1 Vegetation composition: macrophyte community...............................................................14
Vegetation composition: negative indicator species ....................................................................14
4.1.2 Macrophyte community structure .......................................................................................15
4.1.3 Examples of applying biological habitat feature assessments.............................................15
4.1.4 Water quality.......................................................................................................................15
4.1.5 Other non-biological attributes............................................................................................16
4.2 Vascular plant features ...............................................................................................................16
4.2.1 Presence/absence (mandatory attribute)..............................................................................16
4.2.2 Population size/extent (discretionary attribute)...................................................................16
4.2.3 Successful regeneration (discretionary attribute) ................................................................17
4.2.4 Examples of applying vascular plant species feature assessments......................................17
4.2.4 Data confidence...................................................................................................................17
4.3 Overall assessment .....................................................................................................................17
5. References………………………………………………………………………………………….18
6. Favourable condition tables ...........................................................................................................20
Appendix 1. Broad correspondence between UK standing water classifications.........................54
Appendix 2. Methodology for assessing standing water habitat features and vascular plant
species features of interest..................................................................................................................56
Appendix 3. Recording forms ...........................................................................................................65
Appendix 4 Guidelines for recording point survey data ................................................................73
Appendix 5. LHS field survey form (revised version 2)..............................................................74
1