Sparsely vegetated land
This group covers all unvegetated or sparsely vegetated habitats (naturally unvegetated areas). Often these ecosystems have extreme natural conditions that might support particular species. They include bare rocks, glaciers, dunes, beaches and sand plains. The group is a conglomerate of distinctive rarely occurring ecosystems, often defined by different geographical location.
From the 233 habitats listed in Annex I of the EU Habitats Directive 23 habitat types are considered as sparsely vegetated land habitats. Some 179 species covered by the EU Habitats Directive are linked to sparsely vegetated land habitats.
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