The sandy shore conservation status is assessed as the current habitat extent compared to its extent in 1970. 1970 is 6 years after sand mining at the beach was prohibited by law, and before most of the coastal infrastructures were built and caused changes to the coastal sand transport. For soft bottom habitat we utilized relevant pressure as a proxy of habitat condition.
All habitats contribute equally, regardless of their extent, because the presence of a diverse set of habitats, as well as the level of conservation of each, is considered valuable to achieve this goal.
Current Score
The current score indicates that the extent of the sandy beach have not dramatically decreased, while the soft bottom habitat is under a lot of pressure by trawling equipment, and restoration is needed. Continued decline in the future would undermine the score for overall Biodiversity and impact many other aspects of ocean health.
