Seastar Survey Ltd. were contracted by Natural England to undertake a Phase I and Phase II intertidal survey within specific units of the Flamborough Head SSSI, to investigate their inclusion within the potential redesignation and expansion of several SSSIs along the Yorkshire coastline. Three transects across the survey area were sampled and detailed habitat maps illustrating the extent and distribution of intertidal rock habitats and biotopes were produced for each transect.
The primary aim of the survey was to verify the extent of two “whole shore” SSSI selection units: wave-exposed rock and moderately wave-exposed rock. Four littoral biotopes listed as representative of moderately wave-exposed rock were found to be somewhat patchy in distribution, though a littoral further biotope, LR.LLR.F.Fves was present across the mid shore at all three transects. No biotopes representative of the whole shore selection unit ‘wave-exposed rock’ was identified at any of the three transects.
The survey confirmed the presence of marine intertidal features which qualify for selection of part of a SSSI, including two “habitats of interest”: intertidal chalk and maritime cliff and slopes. The rockpool biotope LR.FLR.Rkp.SwSed, which is listed as a biotope of special interest, was also recorded at two of the three transects.
The report also lays out recommendations for future survey methods to minimise inter-survey variability and improve comparisons between datasets, and to increase the spatial coverage of surveys to include other potential features of interest.