Mapping OSPAR priority habitats
In 2003, the OSPAR Biodiversity Committee agreed to a
programme to map the distribution of priority habitats on
OSPAR's
list
of threatened and/or declining species and habitats. The
programme is being led by JNCC who co-ordinate the submission of
data on the distribution of each habitat type within the
territories of each Contracting Party.
The data were first collated and presented to the Biodiversity
Committee as preliminary maps for each of the OSPAR priority
habitats in February 2005. The datasets are updated on an
annual basis, in time for the annual meeting of the
Biodiversity Committee every February. Shortly afterwards, a
new dataset is published on the
Mapping European Seabed Habitats webGIS.
The 2012 version of the OSPAR Habitats dataset can be
viewed and
downloaded
from the Mapping European Seabed Habitats (MESH) interactive
mapping portal. It can also be accessed using the
MESH Web Map Service (
right-click and choose 'copy
link address' to use).
For more information, please contact: