How to use the classification website

Overview

The quickest way to get an overall view of the classification is to look at the expandable classification hierarchy, which lists all types, from broad habitat level to sub-biotope level, in hierarchical order. The different levels in the hierarchy are colour-coded in a standard colour scheme. The expandable hierarchy is hyperlinked to the descriptions for each individual type, which can be accessed by clicking on the relevant title in the list.

Habitat matrices and hierarchy structure diagrams have been developed to help users find their way around the individual broad habitats.

The biotope search page can be used to search for biotope descriptions which contain specific keywords or species names. Users who are familiar with the classification system can also search for descriptions belonging to specific codes.

There is a separate page explaining the layout and components of each biotope description.

There are explanatory pages to help understand the biotope codes, and the species nomenclature used throughout these webpages. The introduction and background to the classification covers the background and development of the classification system in some detail. It also contains a section on field recording, which explains the terminology used for physical habitat parameters in within biotope descriptions and comparative tables.