Parks Australia Natural Values Ecosystems 2022: Marine Habitat Map

Parks Australia's 2022 Natural Values Ecosystems dataset delineates marine ecosystems by habitat and depth within the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone. It uses a 250m resolution bathymetry grid as its base and provides a broad-scale, nationally consistent classification. The dataset is part of the Parks Australia Management Effectiveness system and is published by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Modeling marine ecosystem distributions based on habitat and depth surrogates.
• Conducting national-scale marine conservation assessments based on a consistent classification framework.
• Serving as a base layer for broad-scale marine spatial planning activities.

Strengths

• Provides national coverage for the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone.
• Based on a controlled, common language for nationally consistent reporting.
• Uses Geoscience Australia's 250m resolution Australian Bathymetry and Topography Grid as a base.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset interpolates where data gaps exist and is not a substitute for a validated habitat map.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Combination of input data sources with interpolation for gaps, adopting a functional, geo-physical perspective.

Time Range

2022

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-16 22:11:42.652154; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australian Exclusive Economic Zone