Marine and Coastal Habitats

The marine environment is made up of a patchwork of habitats; areas that are characterised by a combination of physical and biological features. Each habitat contains a different community of species and provides us with a variety of services. Though the environment has been categorised into habitats, they do not exist in isolation. Energy and species flow between them, meaning a change in one habitat will also result in the change of another. The most ecologically diverse and important habitats are protected by laws that come with designations such as Special Areas of Conservation.