Management Units for Cetaceans in UK Waters, 2015 Boundaries

January 2015 shapefiles define the final agreed Management Unit boundaries for the seven most common cetacean species in UK waters. The dataset was produced by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and partner agencies, based on expert scientific advice from the Sea Mammal Research Unit. It includes estimated abundance figures and provides a spatial framework for assessing environmental impacts on marine mammals.

Use Cases

• Assessing the spatial scale of environmental impacts on cetaceans based on defined Management Unit boundaries.
• Modeling population consequences of disturbance (PCoD) for marine mammals based on the incorporated Management Units.
• Conducting cumulative impact assessments for marine plans and projects based on the standardized spatial units.
• Mapping cetacean species distribution and estimated abundance within UK waters based on the provided Management Unit details.

Strengths

• Boundaries are described as final and formally agreed upon by multiple UK conservation agencies.
• Dataset is integrated into an established interim model (PCoD) for assessing impacts of marine renewable energy.
• Includes estimated abundance figures for cetacean species within each Management Unit.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last updated 2026-04-14 09:48:06.193804; freshness should be verified.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), with input from Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage, Natural Resources Wales, and the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU).

Collection Method

Derived from expert scientific discussions and correspondence following an Inter-Agency Marine Mammal Working Group meeting in June 2012.

Time Range

Boundaries are final as of January 2015.

Freshness

Data reflects boundaries agreed upon in 2015, with a formal review anticipated in 2019 and every five years thereafter.

Geography

United Kingdom waters.