1. Red List of Biotopes and Habitats HELCOM HABITAT Riga, Latvia 14-17 May 2013 Lena Avellan Project Officer 14-15 May 2013HELCOM HABITAT 15/2013

2.  HELCOM Red List of Biotopes and Habitats - current status, products to complete  Presentation to changes of Initial Threat Assessments (document 4/11 Add.1) 14-15 May 2013HELCOM HABITAT 15/2013 Presentation content

3. Red List of Biotopes and Habitats – products to complete 3.Red List Report BSEP XXX; rough outline discussed by RL Biotope Expert workshop 10/2013, to be completed by the end of July, HOD 42/2013 to accept for publication 4.Biotope Information Sheets (BIS) to be done for every red listed (CR-NT) biotope; first example to be discussed by the Meeting, input by national experts needed, to be completed by end of July, HOD 42/2013 to accept for publication 14-15 May 2013HELCOM HABITAT 15/2013

4. 14-15 May 2013HELCOM HABITAT 15/2013 Red List of Biotopes and Habitats - current status Red List Report currently only roughly drafted Threat assessments underway, the final assessments to be decided by e-mail discussion 20.-24.5. by RED LIST Biotope Expert Group Suggested to ask for any national expertise outside the RED LIST Biotope Expert Group, national experts to be contacted by the Secretariat to complete the Red List products; Report and Biotope Information Sheets

5. Red List of Biotopes and Habitats - current status Questionnaire 1 circulated in December 2012 – January 2013 Recieved 11 answers, two additional answers later Initial Threat Assessments made by RED LIST Biotope Expert Group 9/2013 meeting Questionnaire 2 circulated 26 April – 12 May 2013 No official answers by the DL, some expert comments 14-15 May 2013HELCOM HABITAT 15/2013

6. HELCOM Red List categories - current status 14-15 May 2013HELCOM HABITAT 15/2013

7. HELCOM Initial Red List of Biotopes and Biotope Complexes - current status 14-15 May 2013HELCOM HABITAT 15/2013

8. HELCOM Red List Assessment Criteria - current status Semi-quantitative criteria applied to best available data or expert inference to classify a biotope in a category The proposed IUCN criteria for assessing ecosystems were applied and combined with HELCOM criteria from previous red list assessments 14-15 May 2013HELCOM HABITAT 15/2013

9. HELCOM criteria based loosely on IUCN red list criteria - current status Article published 8.5.2013 Keith DA, Rodríguez JP, Rodríguez-Clark KM, Nicholson E, Aapala K, Alonso A, Asmussen M, Bachman S, Basset A, Barrow E.G., Benson J.S., Bishop M.J., Bonifacio R, Brooks T.M., Burgman M.A., Comer P, Comín F.A., Essl F, Faber- Langendoen D, Fairweather P.G., Holdaway R.J., Jennings M, Kingsford R.T., Lester R.E., Mac Nally R, McCathy M.A., Moat J, Oliviera-Miranda M.A., Pisnau P, Poulin B, Regan T.J., Riecken U, Spalding M.D., Zambrano-Martínez S (2013) Scientific Foundations for an IUCN Red List of Ecosystems. PLoSONE8(5): e62111. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0062111 14-15 May 2013HELCOM HABITAT 15/2013

10. “Confidence of threat assessment” a statement for every red listed biotope, aid for management Low (L) Moderate (M) High (H) Level of confidence depends on how much data there are for the biotope, whether there are also historical data, and on the degree of agreement among the experts 14-15 May 2013HELCOM HABITAT 15/2013 Changes to Initial Threat Assessments

11. Shell gravel on Level 3, VU → LC → B-criterion not applicable as shell gravel patches occur in several places in the northern Baltic Sea AA.E1C4 Baltic photic shell gravel dominated by kelp LC → NT (NT – VU), confidence: L AA.E1E1 Baltic photic shell gravel dominated by Mytilidae LC (same for aphotic), confidence: L AA.E1F1 Baltic photic shell gravel dominated by vase tunicate (Ciona intestinalis): ? → VU (NT – EN) criteria rarity B1, confidence: L AA.E4U Baltic photic shell gravel characterized by no macrocommunity LC, confidence: L Aphotic shell gravel – Same threat and confidence categories apply 14-15 May 2013HELCOM HABITAT 15/2013 Changes to Initial Threat Assessments - categories

12. Changes to Initial Threat Assessment - confidence Biotope complexes; 1110 Sandbanks which are slightly covered by sea water all the time, 1170 Reefs: conficende: L → M Both are HD-habitats, quite a good amount of data in all countries should be available, variation in the threat category is similar to other complexes. 14-15 May 2013HELCOM HABITAT 15/2013

13. 14-15 May 2013HELCOM HABITAT 15/2013 Changes to Initial Threat Assessment - confidence Biotopes; AA.K3L9/AB.K3L9 and AA.L3L9/AB.L3L9 Macoma calcarea, Mya truncata biotope; conficence: L (most were L, one was M) varies between photic and aphotic, and the reason for this is not quite clear.

14. Biotope Information Sheets - completion Currently 36 initially red listed biotopes and 10 biotope complexes June-July to collect information and compose the BIS, Secretariat tasked to do this work National experts will be asked to contribute with gathering information 14-15 May 2013HELCOM HABITAT 15/2013

15. Biotope Information Sheets - completion 14-15 May 2013HELCOM HABITAT 15/2013 Figure 1. Biotope AB.C1E4 Aphotic hard clay dominated by Astarte spp. (Photo Jan Warzocha) Habitat and Ecology - Distribution and status in the Baltic Sea region - Description of Major threats - Assessment justification - Recommendation for actions to conserve the biotope photographs of the biotopes, to be published on-line