important plant areas in central and eastern europe - hirc.botanic.hr ...

Section 6Water, wetlands and coastsWetlands are a vital habitat for many species of plants and animals as well as providinglife support systems for many other habitats.Wetlands habitats such as rivers, lakes, bogsor peatlands, fen and mires cover about 9.9% of Europe.They have an extremelyimportant role in water regulation including flood prevention.They are also importantfor carbon storage, the maintenance of human food sources and they provide a linkbetween ecosystems allowing the migration and survival of many species. All wetlandhabitats are vulnerable to pressure from human land uses.Wetland habitats have long been underrated economically and their extent has beenreduced dramatically in Europe by drainage to create ‘more productive’ land, suitable forforestry and agriculture.The largest threats to wetlands come from damagingagricultural practices, pollution, and water management systems.Threatened wetland habitatsPeatlands are key habitats for plant conservation and are highly threatened in Europe. InWestern Europe many countries have destroyed up to 90% of their peatlands. Protectingthe diverse areas of peatlands in central and eastern Europe is essential in maintainingEurope’s plant diversity. Peatlands are threatened not only by drainage and pollution butalso by peat extraction for the horticultural industry.The Danube river and its tributaries flows through 16 countries and encompasses avariety of habitats from the remnants of flood plain forest near Bratislava to the manychannels and lakes of the Danube Delta. Protection from damaging transportdevelopments, water management systems and pollution requires a high level ofinternational cooperation.Europe’s coastlines are also valuable habitats for plants and algae, from coastal dunes, toshore and drift plants, to the diverse seaweeds of the coastal zone.These habitats arevulnerable to developments such as tourist resorts and pollution.The site of Kassari Bayin Estonia is the only existing site for a rare drifting red algae community (Furcellarialumbricalis – Coccotylus truncatus). It is not currently protected.IPAs, wetlands and coastsMire, bog and fen249 IPAs (31%) contain mire, bog and fen habitats.224 IPAs (28%) contain threatened mire, bog and fen habitats from the EU HabitatsDirective, and 105 IPAs (13%) contain priority mire, bog and fen habitats.Inland surface water: rivers and lakes240 IPAs (30%) contain inland surface water habitats.197 IPAs (25%) contain threatened inland water habitats from the EU HabitatsDirective, and 4 IPAs (