Sea Barley (Hordeum marinum)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vascular plant > flowering plant > Grass |
| Red List Status: | Vulnerable (Not Relevant) [VU(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: | Hordeum marinum |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Huds. |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | in Stroh et al., 2014 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Latest atlas data shows no recovery from longer-term decline. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | The species is primarily associated with the bare margins of winter-flooded depressions in coastal grazing marsh and the upper parts of saltmarshes, and its decline may be linked to loss of those features. |
| 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: | Increases in structural diversity of coastal grazing marsh, particularly creation of disturbed ground, puddles and temporary pools would contribute to provision of suitable niches. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | SRC step 5 would probably be formally correct, but sufficient is likely to be known about the species to enable delivery of suitable habitat management. Therefore step 7, where best practice is rolled out across sites, is the probably the most significant block to achieving recovery. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Ensure appropriate habitat condition at sites, including maintaining open and winter-flooded area, and through establishment and maintenance of appropriate grazing by cattle or sheep. Stocking rates should be sufficient to maintain a relatively short and open sward and to cause localised poaching.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites: Ensure sites are targeted with bespoke habitat management across the species' range.
Comments: This is a continuation of a previously identified action.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Advise on the requirements of this species when coastal defence strategies or programmes are being devised implemented, including managed retreat/re-alignment or the replacement of hard sea defences. Any such strategies or programmes, where the species may be negatively impacted or could positively benefit, should be designed and implemented in a way which creates suitable habitat conditions (e.g. by providing for winter-flooded pools and margins) and facilitates implementation of suitable grazing.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Advice & support
Duration: Unknown
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Carry out experimental work to establish the species' longevity in the soil seed bank.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites:
Comments: This will determine whether ground disturbance or re-establishment of suitable habitat condition might lead to the species reappearance in the absence of e.g. movement of livestock between sites.
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.