Connectivity of Marine Habitats - A Review of Vulnerable Species (1960 - 2008) dataset https://portal.medin.org.uk/portal/start.php?tpc=007_NRW_DS111815 The ‘connectivity’ of marine benthic organisms is important as it has potential implications for designation and management of MPAs and is also likely to feed into work on the management of the wider environment through Marine Planning, which will be developed in Welsh waters in the near future. Connectivity is defined here as the exchange of sufficient organisms via dispersal and movement to sustain populations. Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) contracted Marine Ecological Solutions Ltd. (Marine EcoSol) to undertake the first stages of analysis, primarily to review species that may be vulnerable to low connectivity, or fragmentation, in Welsh waters. The vulnerability to connectivity project (presented in the current report) aimed to identify marine invertebrates, macroalgae, plants and small territorial fish which are theoretically vulnerable to low connectivity and fragmentation, and flag those that might need to be carefully considered when managing the marine environment around Wales. This dataset contains the results of the 'vulnerability to connectivity project', a five staged review of existing information which highlighted species that may be vulnerable to poor connectivity, or fragmentation in Welsh Waters based on information easily available in 2009. Connectivity is now generally recognised as an important criterion in the design of networks of Marine Protected Areas. Historical data was reviewed up to November 2008, with the earliest data point recorded in 1960. 20100131