Porina effilata
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Fungus or lichen > lichen > Lichen |
| Red List Status: | Critically Endangered (Not Relevant) [CR(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Porina effilata |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | M. Brand & Sérus. |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Woods & Coppins, 2012 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Only known from one site in England, in Devon, where it is known from just a small number of trees. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | An exceptionally rare woodland specialist. Found in low altitude oceanic woods near the coast in the south west of Britain (BLS, 2025). Since it is only known from one site in England, recovery work needs to be targeted. |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Part of a large group of species threatened by under grazing of old growth woodlands. In the long term i.e. once immediate threats addressed and the species is able to spread it should benefit from extensive grazing of North Devon coastal woodlands |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 4. Autecology and pressures understood |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Species dossier written, losses found due to undergrazing in Millook (Cornwall) and Clovelly to Peppercombe (Devon), sustainable if small populations in the New Forest and the Dizzard (Cornwall). |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Halo thinning, Rhodo control and Ivy control around and on trees known to support the species currently and in the recent past (ref 2020 Sanderson survey report).
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Clovelly
Comments: Recommended in Sanderson 2020 survey report. Positive impacts on many threatened lichen species, but especially Arthonia anglica as known at the same site. Potential to bundle this with other grazing dependant woodland species
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Sustainable conservation of this species depends on major habitat restoration at Clovelly deer park, involving sufficient grazing/browsing. Develop a multi-species project including other grazing dependent woodland lichens.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Clovelly
Comments: Recommended in Sanderson 2020 survey report. Positive impacts on many threatened lichen species, but especially Arthonia anglica as known at the same site. Potential to bundle this with other grazing dependent woodland species.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Detailed lichen survey of Clovelly Deer Park to search for more Porina effilata
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Clovelly
Comments: Recommended in Sanderson 2020 survey report
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.