Marine Habitat Polygons for Western Australia Conservation Areas

Comprising polygon features delineating broad-scale marine habitats in selected areas of Western Australia, primarily within existing and proposed marine conservation reserves. Habitat classifications are standardized to the Shallow-water Marine Habitat Classification scheme (SMHC).

Use Cases

• Analyze habitat class distribution and spatial patterns within marine conservation reserve polygons.
• Standardize diverse historical habitat classifications to the SMHC scheme for comparative ecological studies.
• Map the extent of specific habitat classes to support marine spatial planning and reserve design.

Strengths

• Data is standardized to a published broad-scale habitat classification scheme (SMHC).
• Focuses on selected areas within Western Australia's marine conservation reserve network.
• Compiles habitat mapping from various organizations over many years.

Limitations

• The specific number of habitat polygons (rows) and their attributes (columns) is unknown.
• Habitat descriptions are provided in external metadata and a reference document, not directly attributed to each polygon.
• The dataset covers selected areas, not the entirety of Western Australia's marine environment.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, compiled from various organizations including DPAW.

Collection Method

Habitat mapping using various methodologies, with classifications standardized to the SMHC scheme.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.

Geography

Selected areas in Western Australia, mostly within marine conservation reserves.