The objectives of this review were to:

• Review the ecosystem effects of common cord-grass
• Map the distribution and extent of common cord-grass in Ireland
• Review the options for the control and management of common cord-grass
• Develop a common cord grass control action plan that can be applied to coastal sites in Ireland

Literature review suggested that the perceived impacts of common cord-grass are often speculative. There was evidence of an impact on macrobenthos diversity, which may explain reported impacts on wading birds that feed on these organisms. There is also evidence that it can impact eelgrass Zostera beds. However, few other reported impacts had strong support and there were suggestions that common cord-grass might facilitate other species. There are also uncertainties about the relationship of sediment regimes and common cord-grass, and the potential impact of management and dieback.

Data analysis was undertaken in PostGIS. The extent of common cord-grass was determined based on the two Saltmarsh Monitoring Projects and the SAMFHIRES project. These provided excellent and up to date coverage, suggesting that the extent of common cord-grass was in the range 688 to 1,223 ha. These data combined with presence based records of the species showed that common cord-grass was widely distributed in Ireland, with records intersecting 167 out of 214 coastal sites.

The threat posed by common cord-grass to Annex I habitats was assessed. It was found to pose a substantial threat to three Annex I habitats, with particular concern for the rarest habitat considered (H1420).

Based on the literature review, a mixture of cutting, smothering, excavation and herbicide application could be used to control common cord-grass. However, this came with caveats, as some techniques, such as cutting, are unlikely to be effective on their own, and all techniques risk impacting other species and habitats in the vicinity. We therefore developed a management decision tool to help guide managers though the analysis required to determine the amount of survey and management action required for a site. This was provisionally implemented on the 167 coastal sites with records of common cord-grass to estimate the extent and costs of actions required.

Note that common cord-grass is currently subject to a degree of nomenclatural uncertainty. Formerly known as Spartina anglica, it is now considered to be a member of the genus Sporobolus, as Sporobolus anglicus. However, this change has not been universally accepted.

Further information from Claire Lush.

The aim of the project was to establish the suitability of aerial imagery taken from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to investigate the spatial and temporal extent of bait digging at selected sites in Wales.

Sites were flown at low tides and ortho-rectified seamless mosaics produced. Shore survey and ground truthing was also undertaken, and control holes dug to investigate the persistence of bait digging evidence on different shores. The shores were revisited to assess whether the control holes were still visible, to give an indication of the persistence of damage. The ortho-rectified imagery was used to create bait digging intensity maps on a variety of shore types.

Further information from Crispin Flower.

This project developed the iMarDIS Portal - a single point of access to data and associated metadata derived from the collaborative research carried out between MRE industries and Bangor University at Marine Centre Wales. It is a single page application (SPA) that offers a pleasant and responsive user interface on top of the wide range of data services provided by the iMarDIS Web API.

From the portal, it is straightforward to search for datasets using keywords, an intuitive query builder and geographic filtering via the map. You can visualise the results on the map, view detailed metadata and create dynamic charts to help assess the suitability of a dataset for purpose. Both raw and derived datasets can be directly downloaded in the browser. The system also supports multiple languages and includes notifications, comprehensive help, articles, and a feedback mechanism.

For more information contact Andy Brewer.

The project outputs consisted of a web interface for configuring the mapper, a modern and feature-rich web application for displaying maps, and consultancy services to JNCC in managing their database and web mapping services.

The project drew on our knowledge of managing large spatial datasets, optimising web mapping services, familiarity with marine habitat classification systems, and expertise in creating interactive web mapping applications.

The new system is currently used to display marine protected area boundaries (MPAs) in UK waters by JNCC. It is also used for a diverse set of habitat and environmental variable datasets as part of the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet).

The mapper can be configured by JNCC staff, who decide which layers should be available, which are displayed by default, and how they may be filtered. It is not restricted to marine mapping and could be configured to display any tiled web mapping services.

Users of the map can search and browse layers, view information about specific habitats by clicking on the map, zoom to areas of interest using a gazetteer, change base maps, and filter layers for specific habitats for species. A permalink system allows users to save their current view of the map and share it with others via a URL.

The mapper is easily deployed and can run as a standalone application or it can be displayed within a content management system to maintain corporate identity. The styling of the mapper itself is customisable so that it can also be themed to meet the style guidelines of the hosting organisation.

This mapper has been one of several marine mapping web applications we have created over the last few years including the United Kingdom Directory of Marine Observing Systems (UKDMOS) ArcGIS desktop application and the Integrated Marine Data and Information System (iMarDIS) https://portal.imardis.org/.

Further information from Andy Brewer.

The work involved consultation with staff at JNCC and the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC) to ensure a faithful import and production of meaningful layers that are useful to JNCC marine staff when assessing the current extent of UK marine monitoring according to each, broad marine discipline (e.g. biodiversity, physical oceanography and fisheries). In addition, users can create custom layers, selecting only the monitoring parameters that may be relevant to a particular analysis.

Further information from Andy Brewer

Natural England had collated a series of spatial datasets relating to surveys of subtidal and intertidal marine habitats. Though all were in digital Geographical Information System format, they were from a variety of sources with differing formats. These were standardised to MESH Translated Habitat DEF, including an assessment of MESH confidence, data cleansing and validation, quality assurance and production of MEDIN metadata. We used a range of tools within ArcGIS, QGIS, GRASS and MapInfo in order to quickly and efficiently produce accurate and reliable outputs. We also utilised four standard habitat translation tables to manually assure the EUNIS habitat identified. A generic process diagram was also created, that can be used to guide all future MESH translation work.

The data to be imported into Marine Recorder were reviewed so that issues could be identified and the approach to import could be agreed. Biotopes were assigned through expert assessment of the data, based upon faunal groupings from Bray-Curtis analysis, particle size distribution, geographic location and field survey notes for each sample. These were then compared with the Marine Habitat Classification for Britain and Ireland (Connor et al., 2004) for the final biotope assignment. The Marine Recorder spreadsheet import function was used to import the resulting data, with particle size and biotope entered manually. The imported data in the snapshot were then independently checked to ensure they were correctly attributed.

Further information from Claire Lush.

Exegesis, working in partnership with NatureBureau, were contracted to undertake an EU LIFE+ supported review of S. anglica as part of Natural England's Improvement Programme for England’s Natura 2000 Sites.

S. anglica has been implicated in a number of impacts on saltmarsh habitats, including increased accretion rates, changed to erosion patterns, reductions in eelgrass Zostera beds and glasswort Salicornia communities, and reduction of areas suitable for bird feeding. We conducted a review of these impacts, which led us to conclude that the overall impact of S. anglica could not clearly be regarded as either positive or negative, as it is hard to separate the impacts caused by S. anglica from those resulting from other processes. For example, causal links between S. anglica and reduction in bird feeding areas were not identified. There is also evidence of S. anglica co-dominating with Salicornia in mixed communities where only S. anglica was known previously, possibly due to a decrease in accretion rates.

We collated recent survey data and species records to assess the extent and distribution of S. anglica. Unfortunately, due the limited coverage of recent survey data very few areas of S. anglica dominated communities could be identified, so the estimate of extent was considered to be a gross underestimate. Recommendations were made to gain a more complete knowledge of the extent of S. anglica using remote sensing and field survey. In contrast, data showing the distribution of S. anglica were more readily available than previously, allowing detailed distribution maps to be created. These showed that the distribution of S. anglica appears to have been relatively stable, having changed little since 1970.

We developed a S. anglica monitoring protocol that aimed to collect information that could be used to determine the extent of S. anglica and to help decide whether management was required. Draft survey forms were tested on sites in the Severn Estuary, Essex coast and North Northumberland Coast, following which improvements were made.

A review of S. anglica control techniques was undertaken, covering physical removal, cutting, grazing, smothering, rotoburying, treatment with herbicides and biological control. This allowed the most effective methods of controlling S. anglica to be identified, but it was noted that any control should be undertaken cautiously and based upon sound evidence, as its removal was likely to result in sediment discharge and potential impacts on designated features. A management decision flow chart was created that aims to help managers of Natura 2000 sites decide where management is most appropriate.

Read the report.

We subsequently undertook a similar review of common cord-grass in Ireland.

Further information from Claire Lush.

The FishMap Mon tool was redeveloped by Exegesis for Natural Resources Wales based upon ScotMap. The tool is an ArcGIS 9.3 map document that provides a series of forms and digitising tools that allow fishermen to draw fishing areas and enter the associated data. The data was stored in an ESRI Personal Geodatabase.

During this work the tool was further refined to capture:

• current and historical fishing areas
• hotspots
• migration routes
• nursery areas
• areas of conflict with other activities

In addition more detailed questions were added regarding the types of gear used by the fishermen, and functionality was added so that fishermen could rank the fishing areas and provide details on economic importance.

Further information from Claire Lush.

Cefas have a responsibility to monitor the intensity of fishing activity. Data was collected using monitoring patrols that record any sightings of fishing vessels. To remove any observation bias from the sightings, GPS data was also collected showing the route followed by the patrol vessel. Cefas had an existing manual process that was used by a specialist to import the GPS tracks and vessel sightings from the Cefas monitoring vessels and undertake the analysis of standardised fishing effort in MapInfo.

The objective for this project was create a toolkit that would automate the processing steps so that non-technical users could undertake the analysis.

The specific aims of the Fishing Effort Toolkit were to:

• produce a simple tool that automated the process for end users
• allow users to configure the tool to use multiple
• import GPS track data used by the monitoring vessels
• import sighting data from standard spreadsheet
• allow batch import of vessel tracks and sightings
• standardise the calculations for each fisheries area
• provide the option to export vessel counts
• allow fishing effort to be analysed for one or multiple years
• assess confidence in the fishing effort score based on observation effort
• allow users to thematically map the outputs using pre-defined classifications

The Fishing Effort Toolkit was developed in MapBasic and added a custom menu to MapInfo that allowed users to configure the toolkit and undertake the required processing steps using user-friendly interfaces. The toolkit was optimised to use data from the preceding processing stage when available so that the processes could be run with minimal user input.

Further information from Claire Lush

The objective of this project was to process licence data from their legacy database to improve the accuracy of the spatial information. This was completed using a series of data validation rules.

For sites with no spatial object, the location description was used to geocode each license so that they could be analysed spatially.

In addition, many licences require survey data to be collated and supplied to the MMO. A list of keywords were identified and used to tag the survey metadata to improve searches for similar surveys within a specified radius. The keywords significantly improve the results returned and allow data to be compared over time.

Further information from Claire Lush.

The objective of this project was to summarise how the fisheries habitats developed during the CCW habitat sensitivity project (Hall et al., 2008) intersected with SACs, SAC features and fishing activity. This sets the fisheries sensitivity work in the context of the Habitats Directive.

The intention was to revise the boundaries of SAC features and the extent of fishing activity as additional information became available. A toolkit was required so that the analysis could be repeated whenever revisions were made to the source data. The tools were created as a series of MapBasic scripts which used existing SAC, SAC feature, habitat and activity layers to calculate the areas of each habitat and feature affected by fishing activity.

The outputs were to be used by CCW to determine whether sensitive habitats were subject to fishing activity and whether these situations occurred within SACs and SAC features. These outputs will allow staff to provide appropriate advice regarding planning applications, assist in the development of marine policy to protect sensitive habitats, provide a baseline to liaise with fishermen about where and how they fish and target management of SACs to areas which are potentially adversely affected by fishing activity.

Further information from Claire Lush.

The web site was structured to allow additional or updated layers to be added with the minimum of effort. The map update process is simplified through a map layer interface that is driven by a layer database. This single database also controls copyright, metadata, layer guidance notes, layer grouping, usage warning messages, popup information templates and map template production. The site provides a highly functional interface for publishing all forms of marine data relevant to the marine planning process and which can be readily expanded to meet future needs.

The web site was also setup to enable users to comment on the published data sets or on specific map features. All comments are stored in a database from which the data can be downloaded to a desktop comment database for further analysis and processing.

Further information from Crispin Flower.

This was developed to move the Marine Nature Conservation Review data into a format compatible with the National Biodiversity Network and to allow the storage and querying of new marine monitoring data that is collected, particularly to help with condition monitoring or marine protected sites.

We also give training in the use of the software to the statutory nature conservation organisations: Natural Resources Wales, Natural England and Scottish Natural Heritage.

The system is used by some 40 organisations representing 130 individual users.

This application reads the original survey data in MapInfo format, undertakes all the necessary analysis and outputs new MapInfo tables and reports containing the results, measured against SSSI selection criteria. This is all achieved through a simple interface.

This reduces weeks of manual analysis to less than 20 minutes of computer processing time. The sites were then interpreted manually to identify a suite of sites that should be considered for further nature conservation.

View the Marine intertidal habitat review and assessment report.

Further information from Claire Lush.

We were asked to produce the web mapping for this project using open source Mapserver software. There was also considerable consultancy on data handling and preparation.

The website and webmap was rebranded in September 2014 to form part of the EMODnet Seabed Habitats project.