Welsh Coastal Benthic Habitat Surveys from Marine Nature Conservation Review

Survey data commissioned by the Countryside Council for Wales provides a baseline on marine habitats and species for coastal management. The dataset contains 14,408 records from 563 sites, covering 1,015 species across intertidal and inshore subtidal areas. Data were collected as part of the Marine Nature Conservation Review program and last updated in 2001.

Use Cases

• Classify benthic biotopes using recorded species, substrata, depth, and wave exposure data from survey samples.
• Model species distribution for 1,015 recorded taxa based on site location and habitat characteristics.
• Analyze epibiota abundance on rocky habitats using the semi-quantitative SACFOR abundance scales.
• Assess habitat variety by sampling data across different salinity regimes, current regimes, and depths within 3 nautical miles of the coast.

Strengths

• Contains 14,408 records with species observations from 563 distinct sites.
• Documents 1,015 species and 883 individual samples, providing substantial species inventory.
• Focuses on a defined geographic region (Wales) using a consistent methodology (MNCR Rational and Methods).

Limitations

• Data is temporally stale, with the last update in 2001, limiting analysis of recent ecological trends.
• Geographic coverage is limited to Wales, with complementary data for broader Britain held in a separate JNCC dataset.
• Sample size details for specific habitats or species groups are not provided, potentially masking sampling bias.

Provenance

Source

Countryside Council for Wales (CCW), contributed to the Marine Nature Conservation Review (MNCR) program.

Collection Method

Data collected via field surveys using semi-quantitative recording techniques (SACFOR scales) and methods described in the MNCR Rational and Methods report.

Time Range

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Freshness

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Geography

Coastal and inshore (within 3nm) subtidal areas of Wales.