A new biotope decision support tool, called BioScribe,
can be downloaded from the JNCC website. The BioScribe
tool matches the species list from a sample to the biological
communities usually recorded with potential biotope matches.
BioScribe has been designed for end users who are
experienced in matching biotopes to field survey data. It is not
designed to select a single biotope, but to make the process of
identifying potential matches faster and more objective. Results
are provided in a format that allows easy comparison between
options. Confidence indicators and direct links to habitat
descriptions from the Marine Habitat Classification for Britain and
Ireland (v04.05) are provided to facilitate the process.
Biotope codes are provided for both the Britain and Ireland habitat
classification scheme and the European equivalent, EUNIS, in order
to make the tool as flexible as possible.
The tool is part of a larger project entitled “Redefining
biotopes at a regional scale” (MEPF project number P09/P93), which
aims to provide a standard methodology for defining potential new
habitats or regional variants from current survey data
requirements, and as part of the process, submit new potential
biotope classifications for offshore sand-gravel habitats to
JNCC.
BioScribe has been designed by Emu Ltd through a project
funded by the Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund’s Marine Environmental Protection
Fund and the software has been developed by the Geodata
Institute in Southampton. It is disseminated by JNCC (Joint Nature
Conservation Committee) and can be downloaded below.
For further information regarding the tool, please contact