UK Ramsar Sites Habitat Cover Data from 1998 Information Sheets

Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance designated under the Ramsar Convention. This dataset contains habitat type and percentage cover data for all designated Ramsar sites within the UK and its Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, compiled by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. The data is primarily based on original Ramsar Information Sheets from 1998, with updates only for sites newly designated or extended since then.

Use Cases

• Assessing wetland conservation status based on habitat type classifications.
• Modeling habitat distribution changes over time based on percentage cover data.
• Comparing the prevalence of specific habitats like peatlands or salt marshes across UK sites.

Strengths

• Covers all designated Ramsar sites in the UK and its Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
• Uses a standardized global habitat list from the Ramsar Secretariat for comparability.
• Includes percentage cover data for each habitat type.

Limitations

• Data is primarily from 1998 and may not reflect current conditions for most sites.
• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown, limiting suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Joint Nature Conservation Committee

Collection Method

Compiled from Ramsar Information Sheets.

Time Range

Primarily 1998, with updates for newly designated or extended sites.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-14 09:45:39.335860; freshness should be verified.

Geography

United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.