| Attributes |
Indicators of Favourable Conditions |
| Area |
No decline beyond natural fluctuations but there can be no
limit to an increase in the sand or mudflat on condition that other habitats are not
adversely affected. |
| Substratum |
Maintain baseline thickness, structure, stability
characteristics and particle composition of mudflats or sandflat. |
| Tidal elevation |
The sand or mudflats should be exposed at low tide and there
should be no deviation from background levels in tidal elevation or shore slope. |
| Hydrographical regime |
Maintain baseline conditions of tidal, wind-induced and
residual flow, channel position and, where the sand or mudflats occur in estuaries,
freshwater run-off and salinity regime. |
| Community structure |
Maintain expected community structure given hydrological
regime and substratum conditions. |
| Biotopes |
No increase in sand or mudflat area which leads to a decline
in other important biotopes, otherwise no generic limits to increase are definable.
Remaining areas of the site should continue to be dominated by biotopes representative of
the habitat in the region. |
| Species |
Ensure continued presence of nationally scarce or rare
species listed in Appendix 1 in Sanderson (1996) or other important species listed in the
Site Notification. No upper limits to species abundance except where increase threatens
other important species or indicates habitat degradation and/or disruption of the
community due to human factors. |
| Community function |
Sand and mudflats should continue to support important
predator and/or grazer populations. |
