3 research outputs found
A study into marine landscapes applied to habitat mapping
In recent years there have been many new seabed-mapping programmes carried out around the
world using the latest data acquisition techniques. The need for these maps is driven by the
recognition that an ecosystem-based approach to the management of national Exclusive
Economic Zones (EEZs), as required by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted
at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, requires both detailed bathymetry and maps of the physical
properties of the sea floor.
In Europe, the implementation of the CBD is through the Habitats and Birds Directives, which
require the identification of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protected Areas
(SPAs). A network of SACs and SPAs will be set up across Europe known as Natura 2000. In
addition, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas has developed the concept of
the ecosystem-based approach in the context of fisheries management, subsequently adopted by
the European Union in its review of the Common Fisheries Policy; the World Wildlife Fund for
Natures’ marine policy has developed the concept of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs); the
OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic is
also working to promote networks of MPAs and Ecological Quality Objectives (EcoQOs).
In the UK, the Department of Environment, Fisheries and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) major reports
on Marine Stewardship,’ Safeguarding our Seas: A Strategy for the Conservation and
Sustainable Development of our Marine Environment’ published in 2002 and followed by a
consultation paper ‘ Seas of Change’, form the basis for developing a practical application of the
ecosystem-based approach. The DEFRA Review of Marine Nature Conservation (RMNC)
produced an interim report in 2001, which recommended that a pilot scheme at a regional scale
to test a proposed framework for nature conservation. This has led to the Irish Sea Pilot Study
managed by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), which has adopted the concept
of ‘marine landscapes’, first developed in Canadian waters, based on geophysical features
recognising that their importance in determining the nature of biological communities.
As a result of these national and international initiatives, a number of habitat classification
schemes have been introduced in different parts of the world. Since 2001, a group of geologists
with interests in the application of geological data to habitat mapping have met each year to
present their views and mapping programmes and to discuss their ideas with scientists from other
disciplines, mainly biologists and oceanographers. The GeoHab (Geological Mapping of
Habitats for Marine Resources and Management) group have provided the impetus for this
review of BGS geological data in the context of habitat mapping classification schemes, and
proposes ways in which our BGS data may be applied automatically, within a Geographical
Information System, to the selection of relevant sources of information
Information management focus and operations : delivery plan 2010-2011 and beyond
This report provides an overview of the work undertaken by the Information Management Focus and Operations Team for the financial year 2010-11 and includes a forward look for future years.
Currently the Team’s projects cover specialist data management activities under five geoscience themes, geophysics, geology, hydrogeology, geochemistry and marine plus a multi tasked project covering corporate metadata, proactive data verification and project data storage. The Geo-Seas project, a Pan-European e-infrastructure project for the management of marine geological and geophysical data, is also managed under this Team
Information management focus and operations : delivery plan 2011-2012 and beyond
This report provides an overview of the work undertaken by the Information Management Focus
and Operations Team for the financial year 2011-12 and includes a forward look for future years.
Currently the Team’s projects cover specialist data management activities under five geoscience
themes, geophysics, geology, hydrogeology, geochemistry and marine plus a multi tasked project
covering corporate metadata, proactive data verification and project data management. The Geo-
Seas project, a Pan-European e-infrastructure project for the management of marine geological
and geophysical data, is also managed under this Team