PA – Coastal Areas

Biodiversityvv0

Responsible:Niccolò Calandri

PA – Coastal Areas (pa_ns_coastal_area)

Overview

The PA – Coastal Areas component measures the Pollinator Abundance (PA) specifically associated with pollinators specialised for coastal and riparian habitats. It is expressed on a normalised scale from 0 to 1 and is one of the sub-indicators of the InVEST Pollinator Model.

This group includes pollinators adapted to coastal microclimates: solitary bees and wasps that nest in sandy dunes, coastal substrates, salt marshes and littoral vegetation. Coastal species show specific tolerance to salt spray, unstable sandy substrates and the wind and temperature conditions typical of littoral environments. These include some Colletes species specialised in coastal flora and dune-adapted Andrena.

In the overall Nesting Sites (NS) formula, coastal areas carry weight 1. Although the weight is relatively low in the global context, this factor is crucial for coastal biodiversity and the functioning of littoral ecosystems.

Calculation Methodology

Calculated using the InVEST methodology (Sharp et al., 2020). For each land cover pixel, a coastal suitability value (0–1) is assigned. The PA value integrates nesting suitability with accessible floral resources (FA), weighted by foraging distance.

Weight in overall NS calculation: 1/13

Scale: 0 (unsuitable habitat) – 1 (maximum suitability)

Data Sources

Code	Name	Provider	Resolution	Availability
`WRD_INVST_99`	InVEST Pollinator Model	Natural Capital Project, Stanford University	—	—

Quality Range and Levels

Indicator	Unit	Range	Inverted
`pa_ns_coastal_area`	—	[0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40]	No

Level	Value	Interpretation
A (Excellent)	> 32	Extensive natural coastline with dunes and littoral vegetation
B (Good)	24 – 32	Good availability; coastline with significant natural areas
C (Moderate)	16 – 24	Average availability; partially developed coastline
D (Poor)	8 – 16	Low availability; predominantly urbanised coastline
E (Critical)	0 – 8	Near absence of natural coastal habitats; inland or fully urbanised

References

Sharp, R. et al. (2020). InVEST User's Guide. The Natural Capital Project, Stanford University.
Potts, S.G. et al. (2010). "Global pollinator declines: trends, impacts and drivers". Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 25(6), 345–353.
Baldock, K.C.R. et al. (2015). "Where is the UK's pollinator biodiversity?". Journal of Ecology, 103(4), 998–1009.

Data Sources & References

Sources

WRD_INVST_99

Methodology

PA component for coastal areas. Calculated using InVEST methodology (Sharp et al., 2020). For each land cover pixel, a coastal suitability value (0–1) is assigned. The PA value integrates nesting suitability with accessible floral resources (FA), weighted by foraging distance. Weight in overall NS calculation: 1/13. Scale: 0–1.