Habitat mapping in Finland Shallow areas with benthic vegetation and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Habitat mapping in Finland

Shallow areas with benthic vegetation and sessile invertebrates

Ari Laine, Metsähallitus / Parks & Wildlife Finland

2nd Meeting of the HELCOM Intersessional Network on Benthic Habitats and Biotopes Warnemünde 26.-27.9.2018

Finnish inventory programme of underwater habitats and species

• General mapping in 2004-2015, since 2016 focus on threatened and

rare habitats and species, and areas affected by antropogenic pressures

• Data consist of > 96 000 video point observations and > 2000 dive

transects

• Video data analysis: coverage of algae, vascular plants, epibenthic

invertebrates and substrate -> habitat classification (HUBs and N2000 habitats)

• Dive transect data: species-level diversity in photic zone

VELMU methods

• Bottom topography, geology
• Vegetation
• Invertebrates
• Fish spawning areas

Drop video ROV Scuba diving Algal lines

Parks & Wildlife Finland

Geological echosounding methods

• Geol. Surv. Fin.

/ H. Kutvonen

Benthic sampling Sampling of fish larvae

SYKE

Data available in VELMU Map Service

Data shows well large-scale distribution but still gaps in waters closest to mainland

HELCOM HUB (community-level) Epibenthic bivalves Macroalgae Vascular plants

Findings published as a book in 2017

• Habitats and species

described with fresh pictures and distribution maps

• 581 pages
• To be translated in English

Recent application of data:

Modelling of biotope distribution, analysis

• f protection level and human pressures

https://seagis.org/

Current challenges

• Validation of species and habitat models, restricted access to

high resolution depth and substrate data

• Habitat Directive reporting & status assessment criteria for

hard bottom communities

• No monitoring program exist (except aphotic soft bottom

habitats)