Pygmy pocket moss (Fissidens exilis): management plan 2016

Species at Risk Act
Management Plan Series

Table of Contents

• Document Information
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Executive Summary
• 1. COSEWIC Species Assessment Information
• 2. Species Status Information
• 3. Species Information
  • 3.1. Species Description
  • 3.2. Population and Distribution
  • 3.3. Needs of the Pygmy Pocket Moss
• 4. Threats
• 5. Management Objective
• 6. Broad Strategies and Conservation Measures
  • 6.1. Actions Already Completed or Currently Underway
  • 6.2. Broad Strategies
  • 6.3. Conservation Measures
  • 6.4. Narrative to Support Conservation Measures and Implementation Schedule
• 7. Measuring Progress
• 8. References
• Appendix A: Known Occurrences of Pygmy Pocket Moss in Canada
• Appendix B: NatureServe ranks and Definitions
• Appendix C: Effects on the Environment and Other Species

Document Information

Recommended citation:

Environment and Climate Change Canada. 2016. Management Plan for the Pygmy Pocket Moss (Fissidens exilis) in Canada. Species at Risk Act Management Plan Series. Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa. iv + 16 pp.

For copies of the management plan, or for additional information on species at risk, including the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) Status Reports, residence descriptions, action plans, and other related recovery documents, please visit the Species at Risk (SAR) Public Registry.

Également disponible en français sous le titre
« Plan de gestion du fissident pygmée (Fissidens exilis) au Canada »

Cover illustration: Steere 1950

Content (excluding the illustrations) may be used without permission, with appropriate credit to the source.

Preface

The federal, provincial, and territorial government signatories under the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk (1996) agreed to establish complementary legislation and programs that provide for effective protection of species at risk throughout Canada. Under the Species at Risk Act (S.C. 2002, c.29) (SARA) the federal competent ministers are responsible for the preparation of management plans for listed species of special concern and are required to report on progress within five years after the publication of the final document on the SAR Public Registry.

The Minister of Environment and Climate Change is the competent minister under SARA for the Pygmy Pocket Moss and has prepared this management plan as per section 65 of SARA. To the extent possible, it has been prepared in cooperation with the British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia governments.

Success in the conservation of this species depends on the commitment and cooperation of many different constituencies that will be involved in implementing the directions set out in this plan and will not be achieved by Environment and Climate Change Canada, or any other jurisdiction alone. All Canadians are invited to join in supporting and implementing this management plan for the benefit of the Pygmy Pocket Moss and Canadian society as a whole.

Implementation of this management plan is subject to appropriations, priorities, and budgetary constraints of the participating jurisdictions and organizations.

Acknowledgments

This management plan was prepared by Emmanuelle Fay and Marie-José Ribeyron (Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service – Quebec Region) based on a draft prepared in 2010 by Jennifer Doubt (Canadian Museum of Nature) and Angela McConnell (Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service – Ontario Region). This document was made possible through the contributions of: Rene Belland (University of Alberta), Jean Faubert (Société québécoise de bryologie), Jean Gagnon (Ministère du Dévelopement durable, de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques), Linda Ley (Bryologist, independant contractor), Julie McKnight (Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service – Atlantic Region), Lauren Strybos, Madeline Austen, Elizabeth Rezek and Lesley Dunn (Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service – Ontario Region), Ian Parnell (Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service – Pacific Yukon Region) and Peter Fielder (British-Columbia Ministry of Environment).

Executive Summary

Pygmy Pocket Moss (Fissidens exilis) is very small and is difficult to identify without the aid of a microscope. The species is found in moist soil substrate and appears as unidentifiable velvety green filaments (protonemata), until favorable conditions allows for the growth of tiny leafy stems (1.0 - 2.0 mm tall) and reproductive organs.

Pygmy Pocket Moss has been listed as Special Concern on Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA) (S.C. 2002, ch. 29) since 2006. In Canada, it has been collected from at least 18 localities: two in British-Columbia, seven in southern Ontario, four in Quebec and at least five in Nova-Scotia. The small stature and peculiar life cycle of Pygmy Pocket Moss makes it hard to detect and identify, creating uncertainty regarding the species' abundance and range in Canada.

The species' suitable habitat characteristics as well as the environmental conditions at the Canadian known occurrences are not well-described. Knowledge gaps on the threats to the species are significant to the extent that they cannot be well assessed. Intrinsic factors limiting the species are also largely unknown.

The management objective for the Pygmy Pocket Moss is to maintain the presence of all known extant occurrences located in natural habitat in Canada during the 5 years following the final publication of this management plan on the Species at Risk Public Registry.

Broad strategies and conservation measures designed to achieve this objective are set out in section 6.2. This management plan outlines a number of recommended measures addressing knowledge gaps about the Canadian population, management and conservation of the species and its habitat, and outreach and communication.

1. COSEWIC^* Species Assessment Information

Date of Assessment:

May 2005

Common Name (population)^Footnote1:

Pygmy Pocket Moss

Scientific Name:

Fissidens exilis

COSEWIC Status:

Special Concern

Reason for Designation:

A moss with a limited distribution in eastern North America, but which is widespread in Europe. Few populations have been documented in Canada, primarily in Ontario where it occurs in heavily populated and developed areas where natural habitats are widely known to be at serious risk. Although cryptic in habit, the species often grows with other small species that have well documented ranges. The species prefers woodlands, where it is usually found on bare clay or disturbed soil. Most locations are in areas benefiting from some level of conservation protection.

Canadian Occurrence^Footnote2:

Ontario, Quebec

COSEWIC Status History:

Designated Special Concern in May 2005.

* COSEWIC – Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. The information presented in this box, including the Canadian occurence, reflects the state of knowledge at the time the species was assessed.

2. Species Status Information

The Canadian proportion of the global population has not been assessed, but it is likely less than five percent (COSEWIC 2005). The species has been listed as Special Concern^Footnote3 on Schedule 1 of the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) (S.C. 2002, ch. 29) since 2006 and is listed as Special Concern^Footnote4 in Ontario under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA) since 2008. The species is not listed in Quebec because, until recently, Quebec bryophyte specialists, as well as some other specialists in North America, questioned the species' status as native to North America. It is not listed either in Nova-Scotia nor British-Columbia where it has only recently been discovered. However, it is also the opinion of local British-Columbia bryologists that it might be introduced.

As mentioned above, some variation in opinion exists regarding the nativity of Pygmy Pocket Moss in North America. Some recent authors (Allen et al. 2004, Bryophyte Flora of North America 2007, Faubert 2007) suggest that the species is introduced from Europe, based on its relatively recent discovery in regions of the continent that are densely populated, subject to human disturbance, and relatively well-botanized. However, other indigenous species with low detectability were only recently recorded in Canada [e.g. Schleicher's Silk Moss (Entodon schleicheri) (Buck and Crum 1978); new bryophytes species and genera in British Columbia (McIntosh 1989)], suggesting that recent discovery is not clear evidence of introduction. Furthermore, the Pygmy Pocket Moss is not clustered neatly around ports, in urban settings, or on anthropogenic linear disturbances as many introduced (Schofield 1988) or rapidly expanding (Hassel and Söderström 1998) bryophytes species tend to be. Both natural areas and developed urban or recreational settings are represented in the Canadian range. This is why COSEWIC is considering the Pygmy Pocket Moss as a species native to Canada.

NatureServe (2014) considers the global populations of the Pygmy Pocket Moss to be Vulnerable (G3). The species is considered Critically Imperiled (N1) in Canada and Unranked (NNR) in the United States. Table 1 provides further details on other conservation ranks in Canada, while Appendix B provides definitions of the aforementioned NatureServe rankings.

3. Species Information

3.1. Species Description

Pygmy Pocket Moss is a minute, brown or dark green moss that is sometimes found with leafy stems ranging from 1 - 2 mm tall (COSEWIC 2005). These plants usually exist as a carpet of very small undifferentiated (and unidentifiable) velvety filaments (protonemata) in or on the soil (Flora of North America 2007; Jennifer Doubt, pers. comm. 2014). When there is a sustained rise in moisture, such as spring and fall, protonemata initiate the growth of leafy stems and stalked spore-filled capsules (sporophytes) which vary in length from 2 to 5 mm (COSEWIC 2005). Plants are easier to detect and identify when they are in this state.

3.2. Population and Distribution

Pygmy Pocket Moss is known from the British Isles, central and northern Europe, Scandinavia and Japan (COSEWIC 2005). It also occurs in New Zealand where it may be introduced (Beever 1999) as well as in Algeria and South America (NatureServe 2013). The first discovery of the species in North America was made in 1947, in Cleveland, Ohio (Steere 1950). The species extends through the eastern United States and until recently, was believed to reach its northern range limit in North America in the southern parts of Ontario and Quebec (Figure 1). However, recent discoveries show its presence in Nova-Scotia, in British-Columbia and in the Côte-Nord region, Quebec (see Appendix A).

In Canada, Pygmy Pocket Moss has been collected from 18 localities: two in British-Columbia, seven in southern Ontario, four in Quebec and at least five in Nova-Scotia (Figure 1, Appendix A)^Footnote5. Eight of these occurrences benefit from habitat conservation measures (see Appendix A for details). The Canadian area of occupancy is thought to be less than 1 km² (COSEWIC 2005).

Accurate determinations of the species' distribution and abundance are very difficult as shown by the following information provided in COSEWIC 2005:

• During fieldwork carried out in 2002, none of the three previously recorded populations in Ontario were re-discovered. Difficulty in finding previously recorded populations does not necessarily indicate decline or extirpation, because very little detail concerning the population locations was available to direct field searches. Furthermore, the species' persistent protonemata, which are presumably more common than the shorter-lived mature gametophytes, cannot be reliably identified, even at the family level, and populations lacking distinguishable leafy gametophytes at the time of the field work would not have been recorded. It is also possible that the 2002 collecting failed to detect mature Pygmy Pocket Moss at the sites, because other small moss species abound on muddy substrates in southern Ontario and species tend to intermingle with other ephemeral mosses. In the absence of characters for field recognition, collectors must gather a representative sample for lab identification. Long-term persistence at narrowly defined sites is probably not in the nature of Pygmy Pocket Moss, although it may be expected to persist in a general area in which patches of suitable substrate predictably recur. Additional field work involving extensive sampling throughout the suspected Canadian range of the species is likely to result in the (re)discovery of more populations (Wilf Schofield, pers. comm. 2004).

There is no evidence for decline of the population, and Allen (2004) suspects an ongoing population increase in North America.

3.3. Needs of the Pygmy Pocket Moss

Little is known about the biology of Pygmy Pocket Moss^Footnote6 (e.g. life cycle and ecological needs). The species prefers riparian habitats (COSEWIC 2005) however, suitable habitat characteristics of the species as well as the environmental conditions at the known Canadian occurrences have not been studied.

Species of Fissidens reflect the preference of many bryophytes for specific micro-environmental conditions (Beever, 1999). Pygmy Pocket Moss (F. exilis) occurs primarily on bare, moist, often clay-based soil of shaded banks and seepage areas (Crum & Anderson 1981; Flora of North America 2007), typically in woodlands, but also on roadsides and floodplains, where the soil has been disturbed by natural events or human activities (Crum & Anderson 1981; COSEWIC 2005).The species' dependence on bare, clay mineral soil makes it vulnerable to successional changes in its habitat (COSEWIC 2005). In places exposed to a natural disturbance regime (e.g. stream and river banks, floodplains), soil may be kept bare, or new patches may open as old ones are covered with vegetation. In other cases where the disturbance is not repeated, however, the species may be eliminated over time (COSEWIC 2005).

Pygmy Pocket Moss can be found growing on bare soil substrate with other species of pocket moss (Fissidens sp.) (Steere 1950; Molnar 1975) and with ephemeral mosses such as Ephemerumand Micromitrium (Crum & Anderson 1981), which are known to prefer small temporary habitat patches.

Pygmy Pocket Moss needs moisture for growth and reproduction. The persistent protonemata embedded in the substrate allow plants to persist through unfavourable environmental conditions, but also to proliferate quickly when opportunities arise^Footnote7 (COSEWIC 2005). Spores are probably the main mode of dispersal. Colonies may also expand when disturbances, such as flooding, dislodge plant fragments which then become re-established elsewhere (COSEWIC 2005). If this latter form of dispersal is important, riparian corridors would provide significant dispersal routes.

Intrinsic factors limiting Pygmy Pocket Moss in Canada are largely unknown. The species appears to reach the northern limit of its North American range in southern Canada, which suggests that it may be limited by climate and that the known distribution may be susceptible to change associated with long-term climate change (COSEWIC 2005). However, the recent discovery of a new occurrence in the municipality of Franquelin (Côte-Nord region, Quebec) (see Appendix A) questions this hypothesis.

4. Threats

Threats to the Canadian occurrences of Pygmy Pocket Moss are unknown to the extent that they cannot be well assessed. General information on threats is found in the 2005 COSEWIC status report^Footnote8:

• Canadian occurrences of Pygmy Pocket Moss fall within a highly populated region of the country, where air and water pollution, habitat destruction, and habitat fragmentation have affected the survival of many plant species (e.g. Argus & Pryer 1990, Klinkenberg et al. 1990, Lamb & Rhynard 1994, Maycock 1963, Oldham 1990).
• To provide some indication of the possible extent of the above threats, the Ontario occurrences, in particular, are known to occur in heavily populated and developed areas where natural habitats are widely known to be at serious risk (COSEWIC 2005). The majority of Ontario population records, however, are within areas benefiting from habitat conservation measures (see Appendix A).
• Human activities, including recreation and conservation management, have the potential to affect the species' survival even at sites that benefit from conservation measures, particularly if managers are unaware of the species presence.

Pygmy Pocket Moss' association with soil that is disturbed to some degree makes it difficult to classify many local disturbances (e.g. trampling, clearing) as clear threats (J. Doubt, pers. comm. 2014).

Addressing knowledge gaps on the threats to the species in Canada is considered a priority (see Table 3. Conservation Measures and Implementation Schedule).

5. Management Objective

The management objective for the Pygmy Pocket Moss is to maintain the presence of all known extant occurrences located in natural habitat in Canada during the five years following the final publication of this management plan on the Species at Risk Public Registry.

To meet this objective, it is considered an essential prerequisite to address the important knowledge gaps previously identified, namely knowledge gaps about the Canadian population and distribution and on the threats to the species and its habitat.

The management objective is to maintain, as opposed to increase, the presence of Pygmy Pocket Moss because the Canadian population of the species is currently unknown. The fact that the number of known occurrences has increased from seven to eighteen since the species was first assessed by COSEWIC in 2005 is clear evidence of this lack of knowledge. Furthermore, as mentioned in section 3.2, there is no evidence of decline in the population, there might even be a population increase.

Considering the characteristics of the species (see section 3.2), the presence of an occurrence is the best possible criterion to measure its maintenance. Indeed, the species might be present part of the year without any visible plants. Furthermore, when plants are present, an accurate estimate of abundance is impossible as the numbers of colonies, as well as the area occupied by each of them, tend to vary between years, and even within a single year (J. Doubt, pers. comm. 2014).

Most Pygmy Pocket Moss occurrences are in natural habitat. Some, located in natural habitat are exposed to a disturbance regime from natural or human sources (e.g. stream and river banks or along pedestrian trails). These occurrences should persist without further human intervention. Others located in natural habitat without any disturbance regime are, due to the transient nature of the species, unlikely to persist without periodic human interventions. The species also occurs in non-natural^Footnote9 habitat (e.g. farm field) where it has been accidentally introduced by human activities, however, the management objective is targeting only occurrences in natural habitat.

The 5-year time frame is deemed appropriate at this time as there is a limited number of occurrences and most of the conservation measures required to meet the objective can be implemented simultaneously (see table 3).

This objective will be reviewed during the development of the report required five years after this management plan is posted on the Species at Risk Public Registry to assess the implementation of this plan and the progress towards meeting its objectives. It may also be revised at an earlier time in light of new information, if deemed appropriate for the species conservation.

6. Broad Strategies and Conservation Measures

6.1. Actions Already Completed or Currently Underway

Many land managers of provincially-owned sites and sites owned by conservation authorities where the species has been detected are aware of its potential presence. No other action to conserve this species is known.

6.2. Broad Strategies

The broad strategies to achieve the objective of this management plan are as follows:

• Improve knowledge of the Canadian population, including its size, distribution, threats, habitat, life cycle and other ecological needs
• Manage and conserve the species and its habitat,
• Develop and implement outreach and communication programs.

6.3. Conservation Measures

6.4. Narrative to Support Conservation Measures and Implementation Schedule

Improve knowledge of the Canadian population, including its size, distribution, threats, habitat, life cycle and other ecological needs

There are important knowledge gaps on the Pygmy Pocket Moss and the need to address these is considered an essential prerequisite for the conservation of the species. Developing and implementing standardized protocols is considered a top priority. This should be done for inventories as well as for monitoring and data collection to ensure the quality of data but also, as different knowledge gaps should be addressed, in the interest of efficiency. These standardized protocols will manage data collection at each occurrence; particularly on the location of the species, habitat characteristics, local threats to the species and its habitat, and local environmental conditions. The most appropriate methods for the search of new occurrences and for the monitoring of known occurrences will also be determined.

Searching for new occurrences is essential to improve knowledge of the population size and distribution of this species. Regular monitoring of currently known and new occurrences will ascertain the presence of the species and allow the collection of appropriate data (e.g. environmental conditions, disturbances).

Informing survey and management efforts in Canada with results from research on the species conducted in the United States will contribute to the improvement of approaches and methods used in conservation measures related to survey and management.

Research on life cycle and other ecological needs of the Pygmy Pocket Moss will improve knowledge of the species and its needs. Results will contribute to the conservation of the species.

Manage and conserve the species and its habitat

Informing concerned landowners and land managers is a key element for the conservation of the occurrences. They will be informed of occurrence locations in order to avoid any inadvertent destruction of occurrences and to prevent actions that would have a negative impact on the species and/or its habitat.

Stewardship program development and implementation will contribute to the conservation of the species. It can, among other things, provide support to private landowners interested in managing their lands in a way that respects the conservation needs of the species, and include the needs of the species in any other land use planning.

The presence and persistence of the Pygmy Pocket Moss depends on regular disturbance of the substrate. Therefore, the maintenance of occurrences not located in habitat maintained by a disturbance regime will likely require regular interventions intended to reproduce the effects of natural perturbations.

Develop and implement outreach and communication programs

The participation of bryologists (amateur and professionals) will help to improve the knowledge of the Canadian population and distribution of the Pygmy Pocket Moss. To ensure the quality of the data that will be provided, it will be important to also promote the use of the standardized reporting and verification mechanisms.

Finally, sharing information at the national level will allow knowledge gaps on the Pygmy Pocket Moss to be addressed more efficiently, will help to implement measures, and to eliminate, reduce or mitigate large scale threats, if needed.

7. Measuring Progress

The performance indicators presented below provide a way to define and measure progress toward achieving the management objective. Success in implementing this management plan will be evaluated every five years on the basis of the following performance indicators:

• Knowledge of the Canadian population and distribution of the Pygmy Pocket Moss and knowledge of the threats to the species and its habitat have been improved;
• The presence of all known extant Canadian occurrences located in natural habitat has been maintained.

8. References

Allen, B.H., R.A. Pursell, and C. Darigo. 2004. Fissidens exilis and a key to the species of Fissidens in Missouri. Evansia 21:111-115.

Argus, G.W. & Pryer, K.M. 1990. Rare Vascular Plants in Canada - Our Natural Heritage. Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Canada. 191 pp.

Beever, J.E. 1999. Studies of Fissidens (Bryophyta: Musci) in New Zealand: a synopsis and key to taxa. New Zealand Journal of Botany 37: 659-670.

Buck, W.R. and H.A. Crum. 1978. Entodon schleicheri new to North America. The Bryologist 81: 429-432.

COSEWIC 2005. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the pygmy pocket moss Fissidens exilis in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vi + 18 pp.

Crum, H.A. & L.E. Anderson. 1981. Mosses of Eastern North America. Columbia University Press, New York. 1328 pp.

Doubt, J. pers. comm. 2014. E-mail to E. Fay. August 2014. Chief Collections Manager, Botany Section, Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa (Ontario).

Doubt, J. pers. comm. 2014. E-mail to M.-J. Ribeyron. December 2014. Chief Collections Manager, Botany Section, Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa (Ontario).

Faubert J. 2007. Catalogue des bryophytes du Québec et du Labrador. Provancheria N°30, Mémoire de l'Herbier Louis-Marie, Université Laval, 138 pp.

Flora of North America Editorial Committee, Eds. 2007. Flora of North America North of Mexico. Vol 27. Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford. 713 pp.

Hassel, K. and L. Söderström. 1998. The presence of Pogonatum dentatum (Brid.) Brid. In roadside diaspore banks in Sweden. Lindbergia 23: 113-118.

Klinkenberg, R., J.M. Bowles, & M. Kanter. 1990. Summary report on the Kent-Elgin Natural Areas Survey. In G.M. Allen, P.F.J. Eagles, & S.D. Price (Eds.), Conserving Carolinian Canada: Conservation Biology in the Deciduous Forest Region. University of Waterloo Press, Waterloo, Canada. 346 pp.

Lamb, L. & G. Rhynard. 1994. Plants of Carolinian Canada. Federation of Ontario Naturalists, Don Mills, Canada. 51 pp.

Maycock, P.F. 1963. The phytosociology of the deciduous forests of extreme southern Ontario. Canadian Journal of Botany 41:79-438.

McIntosh, T.T. 1989. Bryophyte records from the semiarid steppe of northwestern North America, including four species new to North America. The Bryologist 92:356-362.

Molnar, L. 1975. New distribution data on two mosses, Fissidens exilis and Thuidium pygmaeum, in Quebec. The Canadian Field Naturalist 89: 324-325.

NatureServe. 2014. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [application web]. Version 7.0. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. (Accessed: June 26, 2014).

Oldham, M.J. 1990. Provincially rare plants of the Carolinian zone. In G.M. Allen, P.F.J. Eagles, & S.D. Price (Eds.), Conserving Carolinian Canada: Conservation Biology in the Deciduous Forest Region. University of Waterloo Press, Waterloo, Canada. 346 pp.

Oldham, M.J. 1983. Fissidens exilis, a moss new to Ontario. Ontario Field Biologist 37: 38.

Schofield, W.B. 1988. Bryophyte disjunctions in the Northern Hemisphere: Europe and North America. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 98: 21 1-224.

Steere, W.C. 1950. Notes on Fissidens. II. The discovery of Fissidens exilis in North America. The Bryologist 53: 131-136.

Appendix B: NatureServe ranks and Definitions

Appendix C: Effects on the Environment and Other Species

A strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is conducted on all SARA recovery planning documents, in accordance with the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals. The purpose of a SEA is to incorporate environmental considerations into the development of public policies, plans, and program proposals to support environmentally sound decision-making and to evaluate whether the outcomes of a recovery planning document could affect any component of the environment or achievement of any of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy’s (FSDS) goals and targets.

Conservation planning is intended to benefit species at risk and biodiversity in general. However, it is recognized that implementation of management plans may inadvertently lead to environmental effects beyond the intended benefits. The planning process based on national guidelines directly incorporates consideration of all environmental effects, with a particular focus on possible impacts upon non-target species or habitats. The results of the SEA are incorporated directly into the management plan itself, but are also summarized below in this statement.

The proposed conservation measures, which focus on inventories, monitoring and public awareness, are non-intrusive and are not expected to affect non-target species, natural communities, or ecological processes. In addition, the species’ occurrences are known to occupy a very small area reducing the risk of affecting large portions of habitat.  Furthermore, reducing threats to Pygmy Pocket Moss habitat should benefit all species. Finally, public awareness initiatives for Pygmy Pocket Moss are expected to raise awareness of, and therefore benefit, all bryophyte species at risk.

Therefore, the potential for the plan to inadvertently lead to adverse effects on other species was considered but, for the reasons listed above, the SEA concluded that this plan will clearly benefit the environment and will not entail any significant adverse effects. The reader should refer to the following section of the document in particular: Conservation Measures (6.3).