Identification, Delimitation and Evaluation of Habitat Types in the Field

Since the end of the 1990s, the habitat types protected throughout Europe have been recorded, i.e. mapped in the field, in all registered FFH areas as part of the baseline data survey (GDE). Since then, their conservation status has been monitored every six years by remapping and evaluating the areas recorded in the GDE. However, in order to be able to reliably identify and differentiate the habitat types (habitat types) in the field, a sound knowledge of the vegetation units (often plant-sociological associations) on which most habitat types are based and the species that characterise them, as well as the site-specific and usage-historical conditions that led to their formation, is necessary. This knowledge is conveyed in standard works on vegetation ecology and botany such as Oberdorfer (1993), Wilmanns (1998), Dierschke & Briemle (2002) and Ellenberg & Leuschner (2010) as well as in the central work on the history of the cultural landscape (Poschlod 2015).

Criteria and rules for recording habitat types, such as characteristic plant species, lower limits for recording, delimitation from other habitat types, and above all the assessment thresholds for the qualitatively different conservation statuses A, B and C (very good to poor), are specified nationwide (BfN & BLAK 2017, Ssymank et al. 2021, Ssyymank et al. 2022) and in the federal states. The lower limit above which an existing biotope type is to be recorded as a habitat type of nature conservation value within the meaning of the Habitats Directive is determined, for example, by the number of certain habitat-typical and characteristic species that are specified in a mapping guide for each habitat type.

In ecosystems, there are often only gradual transitions between communities and thus also between habitat types along an environmental gradient (Ellenberg & Leuschner 2010, Nentwig et al. 2017, Ssymank et al. 2021, Ssymank et al. 2022). However, at the latest during the recording and evaluation of habitat types for subsequent data management - usually digitised polygons (concrete areas) of different habitat types and conservation statuses are available in ‘GIS shapes’ (thematic files in geographical information systems) - sharp boundaries must be drawn. The demarcations are then not only based on the presence-absence of the characteristic habitat type species, but mostly on the change in the frequency of the plant species.

The delineation of habitat types, especially in the field, requires a certain amount of experience and practice.

The following habitat type descriptions, the 360° panoramas and a field excursion block in the course are intended to impart this knowledge, which is central to the management of Natura 2000 sites and the habitat types recorded therein, in order to recognise habitat types in the field, to be able to distinguish them from one another and to assess their conservation status.

The habitat types occurring in Germany are listed on this website (list of habitat types and VR panoramas of habitat types). For each habitat type there is a distribution map, images of selected typical species, one or more 360° panoramas of different habitat types and a link to a textual description of the habitat type on the BfN website. LRTs for which no material is yet available on this portal are only greyed out.

The habitat type number corresponds to the EU code of the habitat types according to the Habitats Directive, the designation corresponds to the original designation of the latest version of Annex I of the Habitats Directive (cf. https://www.bfn.de/lebensraumtypen).

Sources

BfN: https://www.bfn.de/lebensraumtypen

Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and the Federal-Länder Working Group (BLAK) on Habitats Directive Monitoring and Reporting Obligations (ed.) (2017): Assessment schemes for the evaluation of the conservation status of species and habitat types as a basis for nationwide Habitats Directive monitoring Part II: Habitat types according to Annex I of the Habitats Directive. 
Part II: Habitat types according to Annex I of the Habitats Directive. BfN-Skript 481, 243 p, Bonn-Bad Godesberg.

Dierschke, H. & Briemle, G. (2002): Cultivated grassland. Ulmer. Stuttgart. 240 S.

Ellenberg H. & Leuschner C. (2010): Vegetation of Central Europe with the Alps. 6th ed. Ulmer Stuttgart. 1357 S.

Nentwig, W., Bacher S., Brandl, R. (2017): Ecology - compact. 4th ed. Springer Spektrum, Heidelberg.

Oberdorfer, E. (ed.) (1993), Süddeutsche Pflanzengesellschaften. Parts I - IV. Forests and shrubs. G. Fischer, Jena, 2nd ed. 862 p.

Poschlod, P. (2015): History of the cultural landscape. Ulmer, Stuttgart. 320 S.

Ssyymank, A., Ellwanger, G., Ersfeld, M. Ferner, J. Lehrke, S., Müller, C., Raths, U., Röhling, M., Vischer-Leopold, M. (2021): The European protected area system Natura 2000. BfN handbook on the implementation of the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive. Volume 2.1: Marine and coastal habitat types, inland waters, heaths and scrub. Naturschutz und Biologische Vielfalt 172. 795 p., BfN (ed.), Bonn-Bad Godesberg.

Ssyymank, A., Ellwanger, G., Ersfeld, M. Ferner, J. Lehrke, S., Müller, C., Raths, U., Röhling, M., Vischer-Leopold, M. (2022): The European protected area system Natura 2000. BfN handbook on the implementation of the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive. Volume 221: Habitat types of grassland, bogs, marshes and springs, rocks and screes, glaciers and forests. 
Naturschutz und Biologische Vielfalt 172. 898 p., BfN (ed.), Bonn-Bad Godesberg.

Wilmanns, O (1998): Ecological plant sociology. 6th ed. UTB. 405 S.