Cornish Biodiversity Network - Supporting Wildlife Recording
The descriptive text, below the map, is from the Cornish Red Data Book (2009). The map on this web page depicts the organisms distribution and shows the records made pre-2000 and those made since.
Range & Status
Native; Eurosiberian southern-temperate species. Found along the coast in most of the British Isles.
Regional Distribution
Recorded in 65 1km squares in Cornwall since 1845, but only 12 since 1999. Formerly widespread in the Isles of Scilly, it has declined drastically on the inhabited islands and is now only found on less-populated beaches and uninhabited islands. A similar decline has occurred around the coast of Cornwall.
Habitat & Ecology
Usually, in low numbers, on the strand-line of sand and shingle beaches.
Threats
Tourist pressure has largely wiped out the strand-line flora of most accessible beaches, especially where mechanical cleaning or raking of the beach is undertaken.
Conservation
The sympathetic management of Cornish beaches needs to be promoted to protect the remaining strand-line plant communities on beaches.
I.J. Bennallick, S. Board, C.N. French, P.A. Gainey, C. Neil, R. Parslow, A. Spalding and P.E. Tompsett. eds. 2009. Red Data Book for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. 2nd Edition.Croceago Press.
The Cornish Red Data Book Project was led by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Federation for Biological Recorders (CISFBR). The full text and species accounts (minus the maps) are available on the CISFBR website.