LivingEarth

Ecosystems are generally complex and difficult to define and, more often than not, comprise a wide range of habitats; typically combining semi-natural, agricultural and non-natural components. This part of the website describes the main habitat groups in Wales, and the more recognisable seral phases of those habitats, some of which are now confined to small fragments and located in areas unsuitable for human land-use. The more common reference states (arising through natural processes) and modified states (arising as consequence of anthropogenic impacts) are described. These illustrate how different pressures have impacted on Wales' ecosystems over varying time frames and led to the habitats that we see today. The main management pressures on each habitat are identified.

Knowledge of reference states (e.g., in terms of vegetation structure and floristic composition) is important to define (on the ground and also through Earth observations and other spatial assessments) as this informs and can promote strategic restoration programmes that take into account the likely impact on biodiversity associated with each habitat. In Wales, most habitats do not exist in the reference states largely because of human activities but also climate change. Hence, a better term to use is benchmark states, which can be described either from expert knowledge or direct measurement