This report details the findings of dedicated seabed surveys at the Utopia recommended Marine Conservation Zone (rMCZ). The site is being considered for inclusion in a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in UK waters designed to meet conservation objectives under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. Prior to the dedicated surveys the site assessment had been made on the basis of best available evidence drawn largely from historical data modelled habitat maps and stakeholder knowledge of the area. The purpose of the survey was to provide direct evidence of the presence and extent of the broadscale habitats (BSH) and habitat FOCI (Features of Conservation Importance) that had been detailed in the original Site Assessment Document (SAD) (Balanced Seas 2011).
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Vector data is used to represent geographic data
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80000
Language
English
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Reference System Information
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http://www.opengis.net/def/crs/EPSG/0/4326
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Information applies to the dataset
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Statement
This habitat map resulting from a review of the acoustic data coupled with use of the ground truthing data collected during the 2012 Utopia rMCZ survey. The map creation process is a combination of two approaches auto classification (image analysis) and expert interpretation. This map attained a score of 86 from the MESH Confidence Assessment Tool which is considered to be good given that the maximum possible score for a purely physical map is 88. This map was extracted from the BSH polygon layer of the Natural England Evidence Base (June 2021) and formatted by JNCC according to the EMODnet Seabed Habitats Data Exchange Format v4.1 in September 2022.
Available under the Open Government Licence v3.0. When using this dataset, you must include an attribution statement acknowledging the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs