Marine habitat classifications and mapping : the use of geological data and interpretations in marine habitat mapping

The development of UK marine environmental policy is being pursued with regard to a number of international initiatives including the 1992 OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the north-east Atlantic, the North Sea Ministerial Conference and the European Union Habitats and Species Directive. A strategy recently adopted under OSPAR is the protection and conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity. This requires the identification of processes and impacts on ecosystems that may affect their natural structure, biological diversity and productivity. A primary step in this process is to identify and describe ecosystems in terms, which include their physical, chemical and biological character. This requires a systematic approach if it is to be of value in, for example, the identification of marine protected areas. Such an approach is being advanced with the development of marine habitat classifications and their implementation in mapping habitats in the coastal, shelf and ocean environment. The aim of this report is to identify and briefly describe a number of marine habitat classification systems an examples of marine habitat mapping and to examine the use and application of geological data, maps and interpretation to the assessment and mapping of marine habitats.