List of mandatory attributes and associated favourable condition targets for saltmarsh

Favourable - Maintained

An interest feature should be recorded as maintained when its conservation objectives were being met at the previous assessment and are still being met.

Favourable - recovered

An interest feature can be recorded as having recovered if it has regained favourable condition, having been recorded as unfavourable on the previous assessment

Unfavourable - recovering

An interest feature can be recorded as recovering , after damage, if it has begun to show or is continuing to show a trend towards favourable condition

Unfavourable - no change

An interest feature may be retained in a more-or-less steady state by repeated or continuing damage; it is unfavourable but neither declining or recovering. In rare cases, an interest feature might not be able to regain its original condition following a damaging activity, but a new stable state might be achieved

Unfavourable - declining

Decline is another possible consequence of a damaging activity. In this case, recovery is possible and may occur either spontaneously or if suitable management is undertaken

Partially destroyed

It is possible to destroy sections or areas of certain features, or to destroy parts of a site, with no hope of reinstatement because part of the feature itself, or the habitat or processes essential to support it, has been removed or irretrievably altered

Destroyed

The recording of a feature as destroyed will indicate the entire interest feature has been affected to such an extent that there is no hope of recovery, perhaps because its supporting habitat or processes have been removed or irretrievably altered