Favorable Conservation Status (FCS)

Abstract

Favorable conservation status (FCS) was defined for habitats and species by the EU Habitats Directive. For habitats, it includes requirements for the stability of the area of the habitat in the long term, for its quality, for typical species of the habitat to be at FCS, and for the control of factors that affect the habitat. For species, FCS requires that the size of the population must be maintained or increasing, the population must be sustainable in the long term, the range of the population must not be contracting, sufficient habitat must exist to support the population in the long term, and the factors that affect the species, or its habitat, must be under control. FCS can be used to support formulation of objectives for wetland site management but should not be used as an objective in its original form. It is important that objectives are site specific, and a commitment to maintaining biodiversity must include an obligation to ensure that local distinctiveness is maintained. An example is given of how FCS can be used to formulate site-specific management objectives.