Appendix – Conservation Relevance

The conservation relevance of all 43 biotopes was assessed based on the OSPAR threatened and declining habitats list and the FAO Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems habitat list (see Annex 5 in this NEAFC document) to aid translation into management relevant habitats. The results of that interpretation are presented below. More information is available upon request.

Table 1: List of the 43 mapped modelled biotopes and their potential conservation relevance.

Name	Description (species, environment)	Conservation Potential	Conservation Category	Conservation Comment
GB_A	Ceramaster and Asbestopluma on finegrained substrates in Atlantic Water	NO
GB_3	Ditrupa on sand in Atlantic Water	NO
GB_4	Parastichopus, Kophobelemnon and sea urchins on fine-grained substrates in Atlantic Water	NO
GB_5	Kophobelemnon and Funiculina with Parastichopus on finegrained substrates in Atlantic Water	YES	OSPAR: Sea pens and burrowing megafauna
GB_S6	Lophelia coral reef with Mycale, Henricia, Primnoa and Paragorgia on unsorted sediments with sponge spicules in Atlantic Water	YES	OSPAR: Lophelia pertusa reef/ OSPAR:Coral gardens	We cannot split the Lophelia Reef and Coral Garden areas in the present analysis
GB_8	Phakellia, Munida, Parastichopus, Henricia and Bonellidae on unsorted sediments with coral gravel in Atlantic Water	YES	OSPAR: Deep sea sponge aggregations
GB_9	Phakellia, Munida and Henricia on unsorted sediments with coral gravel in Atlantic Water	YES	OSPAR: Deep sea sponge aggregations
GB_10	Munida on unsorted sediments in Atlantic Water	NO
GB_11	Brachiopods, sea stars, Bryozoans and sponges on unsorted sediments in Atlantic Water	NO
GB_12	Stylocordyla and other sponges on finegrained substrates in Atlantic Water	MAYBE		Styocordyla borealis not currently a conservation habitat indicator taxon, but sponge aggregations dominated by this taxon have yet to be assessed against conservation criteria
GB_13	Dense Geodidae with Hexadella, Henricia and Munida on unsorted sediments with sponge spicules in Atlantic Water	YES	OSPAR: Deep sea sponge aggregations
GB_14	Geodidae, Astrophorina, Stryphnus and Parastichopus in Atlantic Water	YES	OSPAR: Deep sea sponge aggregations
GB_15	Henricia, Crossaster papposus and Stylocordyla on unsorted sediments in Atlantic Water	MAYBE		Styocordyla borealis not currently a conservation habitat indicator taxon, but sponge aggregations dominated by this taxon have yet to be assessed against conservation criteria
GB_19	Thenea, Stylocordyla, Henricia and Geodidae on unsorted sediments in Atlantic Water	YES	OSPAR: Deep sea sponge aggregations	Styocordyla borealis not currently a conservation habitat indicator taxon, but sponge aggregations dominated by this taxon have yet to be assessed against conservation criteria
GB_S20	Henricia, Thenea, Stylocordyla and Drifa on unsorted sediments in Atlantic Water	YES	OSPAR: Deep sea sponge aggregations	Styocordyla borealis not currently a conservation habitat indicator taxon, but sponge aggregations dominated by this taxon have yet to be assessed against conservation criteria
GB_22	Sea stars and Quasillina on finegrained substrates in Coastal Water	NO
GB_B	Lithothamnion and Serpulidae on hard bottoms in Atlantic Water	NO
GB_26	Stylocordyla, Crossaster papposus and anemones on finegrained substrates in Arctic intermediate Water	MAYBE		Styocordyla borealis not currently a conservation habitat indicator taxon, but sponge aggregations dominated by this taxon have yet to be assessed against conservation criteria
GB_27	Radicipes, Umbellula encrinus, Stylocordyla and ascidians on finegrained substrates in Arctic intermediate Water	YES	OSPAR: Coral gardens	May also have areas with OSPAR: Deep sea sponge aggregations qualities. However Styocordyla borealis not currently a conservation habitat indicator taxon, but sponge aggregations dominated by this taxon have yet to be assessed against conservation criteria
GB_29	Thenea, Craniella polyura and Polymastiidae sponges on finegrained substrates in Barents Sea Water	YES	OSPAR: Deep sea sponge aggregations
GB_D	Craniella polyura, pink anemones and Hormathiidae on sandy mud in Barents Sea Water	NO
GB_35	Hormathiidae on finegrained substrates in Barents Sea Water	NO
GB_36	Gersemia and Hormathiidae on unsorted sediments in Barents Sea Water	YES	OSPAR: Coral gardens
GB_37	Pelosina arboresens and Asbestopluma on finegrained substrates in Barents Sea Water	MAYBE		Asbestopluma sp. are not currently conservation habitat indicator taxa, but sponge aggregations dominated by these taxa have yet to be assessed against conservation criteria
GB_40	Nephtheidae on finegrained substrates in Barents Sea Water	YES	OSPAR: Coral gardens
GB_C	Hormathiidae and Thenea on finegrained substrates in Barents Sea Water	YES	OSPAR: Deep sea sponge aggregations
GB_E	Gersemia and Urasterias lincki on unsorted sediments in Barents Sea Water	YES	OSPAR: Coral gardens
GB_44	Filigrana, Porella and Serpulidae on unsorted sediments in Barents Sea Water	MAYBE		Filograna sp. are not currently conservation habitat indicator taxa, but habitats dominated by these taxa have yet to be assessed against conservation criteria
GB_49	Serpullidae and pink anemones on unsorted sediments in Arctic Water	NO
GB_51	Nephtheidae, Nothria, Hormathiidae and Chlamys islandica on unsorted sediments in Arctic Water	YES	OSPAR: Coral gardens
GB_52	Sea urchins, pink anemones and Nephtheidae on unsorted sediments in Arctic Water	YES	OSPAR: Coral gardens
GB_59	Zoanthidae, Nephtehidae, pink anemones and bacterial mats on unsorted sediments in Arctic intermediate Water	YES	OSPAR: Coral gardens
GB_H	Nephtheidae and Zoanthidae on unsorted sediments in Arctic intermediate Water	YES	OSPAR: Coral gardens
GB_63	Cerianthidae, Stylocordyla and Buccinium hydrophanum on finegrained substrates in Atlantic Water	YES	ICES: Tube-dwelling anemone aggregations
GB_64	Cerianthidae, Amphipoda and sea spiders on finegrained substrates in Norwegian Sea Deep Water	YES	ICES: Tube-dwelling anemone aggregations
GB_65	Nephtheidae and Stylocordyla on unsorted sediments in Norwegian Sea Deep Water	YES	OSPAR: Coral gardens
GB_66	Nephtheidae, Hymenaster and pink anemones on unsorted sediments in Norwegian Sea Deep Water	YES	OSPAR: Coral gardens
GB_67	Nephtheidae, Nothria and Gorgonocephalidae on unsorted sediments in Norwegian Sea Deep Water	YES	OSPAR: Coral gardens
GB_G	Gorganocephalidae, Antedon, Drifa and Chondrocladia on unsorted sediments in Atlantic Water	YES	OSPAR: Coral gardens
GB_69	Cerianthidae and Ophiopleura borealis on finegrained substrates in Norwegian Sea Deep Water	YES	ICES: Tube-dwelling anemone aggregations
GB_70	Polychaeta sediment tubes and Stylocordyla on unsorted sediments in Norwegian Sea Deep Water	MAYBE		Styocordyla borealis not currently a conservation habitat indicator taxon, but sponge aggregations dominated by this taxon have yet to be assessed against conservation criteria
GB_72	Stalked crinoids, Nephtheidae, Hymenaster pellucidus, often with Bythocaris and Caulophacus arcticus on finegrained substrates in Norwegian Sea Deep Water	YES	ICES: Stalked crinoid aggregations	May also have areas with OSPAR:Coral Garden or OSPAR: Deep sea sponge aggregations qualities
GB_73	Eucratea, Thuiaria and Cucumaria on sand in Arctic Water	YES	Brunnpølsebunn