News release issued by Natural England on behalf of the UKSeaMap project


Surveying our seas is difficult. This means we know far less about it than we do about the land.  Until now we have not had a comprehensive picture of its habitats, as existing maps are restricted to small, detailed areas that are few and far between.  Now for the first time a more complete, broader picture has emerged following a two-year project to produce a new map of the sea that shows 44 large-scale ‘marine landscapes’.  Marine landscapes reflect the equivalent of mountains, valleys and plains of the marine environment, together with major habitat types.  The UKSeaMap project is a partnership of ten organisations including Government Departments, agencies, advisers and conservation charities.

David Connor, a marine specialist who led the work at the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, explains: “Through our understanding of the physical and hydrographic factors that determine what wildlife occurs where, such as seabed sediments and water depth, we have developed an approach to predict variation in seabed ecology using data that covers large areas.  We brought together this well known data with new information such as that on light penetration, and how much the seabed is disturbed by waves.  By combining these, the UKSeaMap project has for the first time provided an insight into the broad pattern of marine habitats around the UK – a brand new map of our seas and the first of its kind in Europe.”

Dr Paul Gilliland, a marine specialist with Natural England and Chair of the project’s Steering Group, said: “We need to develop more sustainable management of the marine environment as a whole, not least in response to the growing use of the sea and the need to protect it. This requires us to understand its environmental features.  Because we can’t readily survey them, UKSeaMap has taken a practical approach to providing such key information.  The wide range of funding partners shows that the project’s results will have many applications, from environmental assessment to spatial and strategic planning.  We believe this new map will be a useful tool to assist Government, regulators, marine industries and scientific researchers in the decisions they take and advice they give.”

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