Søgaard, B., Pihl, S. & Wind, P. 2007. NERI Technical Report No. 644, 92 p.
Summary
Through the launch of the National program for Monitoring of Aquatic Environment and Nature (NOVANA) Denmark has obtained systematic monitoring of habitats and species encompassed by the Habitats Directive and the Wild Birds Directive.
According to these EU Directives a network of special protected areas has been designated. The network, ”Natura 2000”, contains species and habitats, which need protection within the European Union. A main purpose for these areas is to contribute to protect and secure the biological diversity both on a national and EU scale. This will happen through maintenance or restoring of ’favourable conservation status’ for the habitats and species, which the areas have been designated to protect.
The programme for monitoring of species within NOVANA has as its primary goal to monitor population size and distribution of the relevant species. This will in time provide the scientific background to evaluate conservation status for each species and strengthen the basis for deciding on any measures that might be able to improve the conservation status for one or more species.
The programme to monitor species has been preliminarily planned for the period 2004-2009. It includes selected plant and animal species comprised by the Habitats Directive and birds protected by the Wild Birds Directive (breeding birds and regularly occurring migratory birds). In addition the programme monitors species, for which more than 20% of the total population occur in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Denmark</st1:place></st1:country-region> (species of special national responsibility).
In chapter 3 the results of the monitoring in 2006 of species included in Annex II and Annex IV of the Habitats Directive are presented with an evaluation of the status of the species. The monitoring has comprised one mammal species (Northern Birchmouse Sicista betulina), one butterfly (Marsh Fritillary Euphydras aurinaria), four vascular plants (Little Grapefern Botrychium simplex, Yellow Marsh Saxifrage Saxifraga hirculus, Lady’s Slipper Cypripedium calceolus and Fen Orchid Liparis loeselii) and one bryophyte (Hamatocaulis vernicosus). For most of the species the results of the monitoring constitutes a baseline for comparisons to the results from monitoring in the coming years. For these species it is at the current stage not possible to evaluate any tendencies in distribution or population size. Time series of data already exist for some of the monitored species, which makes evaluation of changes in distribution or population size possible. This is the case for the four vascular plants species on the Annex II of the Habitats Directive, which are monitored yearly in the NOVANA-programme. In 2006 the largest number of flowering and vegetative shoots of Lady’s Slipper and Fen Orchid has been recorded during the period. The distribution of Lady’s Slipper is unchanged, while Fen Orchid in 2006 was found on two new localities compared to the previous years. The Fen Orchid has been found on the two sites in the past. In 2006 Little Grapefern has been recorded on one site with the second lowest number of shoots during the period and Yellow Marsh Saxifrage was recorded with the lowest number of flowering shoots and at the lowest number of localities (five) in the period. Hamatocaulis vernicosus has in 2006 been recorded on thirteen localities, while the species was known on four sites before initiation of the monitoring. The higher number is merely a result of a comprehensive survey than an increase in the distribution of the species.
In chapter 4 the results of the counties’ monitoring in 2006 of breeding birds on Annex I on the Wild Birds Directive are presented. The 2006 monitoring included eight species of breeding birds: Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus), Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica), Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis), Common Tern (Sterna hirundo), Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea), Little Tern (Sterna albifrons), Black Tern (Chlidonias niger), and Tawny Pipit (Anthus campestris). Kentish Plover, Gull-billed Tern, Black Tern and Tawny Pipit are all very close to local extinction in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Denmark</st1:place></st1:country-region> . These four species are monitored annually under NOVANA. Black Tern might be stabilising its numbers on a low level, but the three other species seems to continue the decreasing trend. The status of Danish breeding birds is generally well known and a data set for comparisons of distribution and population size of the species already exist.
In chapter 5 the results of the National Environmental Research Institute’s monitoring of staging and migrating waterbirds are presented. The purpose of this monitoring is to obtain the scientific background to evaluate status for the migratory waterbird species, which are mentioned in the designation document for one or more areas designated according to the Wild Birds Directive. A number of surveys are international and carried out simultaneously all over <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place> . In 2006 the program consisted of an international mid-winter survey, which included total surveys of geese, Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) and Bewick’s Swan (Cygnus bewickii), and a reduced count of all waterbirds. An international count of Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) in March was supplemented with a count of Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus). In May Dark-bellied Brent Goose (Branta b. bernicla) and Light-bellied Brent Goose (Branta b. hrota) were monitored together Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica) and Knot (Calidris canutus). A countrywide survey of moulting waterbirds was carried out during August. The results will be presented in a NERI Technical Report in the beginning of 2008. Greylag Goose (Anser anser) was monitored in September and dabbling ducks together with Light-bellied Brent Goose and Pochard (Aythya ferina) in October.
The results of the monitoring of species in 2006 will, together with the results of the NOVANA monitoring in the coming years, contribute to the development of a scientific basis for detecting changes in the population size and distribution of species and thus the conservation status of the species.
It will not be possible to generate a general national overview of the status of all species in the monitoring programme until the end of the period 2004-2009 when all species included in the programme have been monitored.
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