1. Tim Donoyou and Neil Smith Thomson Ecology
South West Strategic Regional Coastal Monitoring Programme Coastal and Terrestrial Habitat Mapping
Tim Donoyou and Neil Smith
Thomson Ecology

2. Presentation Outline Introduction Habitat Mapping Methodology
Field Survey
Results
Summary and Findings

3. Introduction
Updates and refines the South West Regional Coastal Monitoring Programme Habitat Mapping from Portland Bill to Avonmouth undertaken from 2006 to 2009
Four out of Five work packages:
EMSW01 – polygons / ha
EMSW02 – polygons / ha
EMSW03 – polygons / ha
EMSW05 – polygons / ha
Grand Total = / ha

4. IHS Classification 2007 to 2013 Look up table – 205 to 81 habitats
Grassland as an example

5. Polygon Mapping 2007 to 2013 Ordnance Survey Mastermap
TOID = unique identifier
Developed a tool to compare OSMM:
TOIDs and Areas Match - Check Habitat
TOIDs Match But Areas Different - Check Boundary
TOID Only in OSMM Check Habitat and Boundary
OSMM has Multiple PHABs - Check Habitat and Boundary
TOID in PHAB 2007 but not in OSMM 2013
Habitat Polygons were visually inspected and classified.
Status attribute used to monitor progress

6. Habitat Spaghetti…

7. Habitat Attributes

8. Fieldwork Multiple sites were visited within each work package.
Fieldwork was undertaken in the first two weeks of September 2015.
Multiple sites were visited within each work package.
The selection of areas to visit was based on the following:
Where there was evidence of real change;
Where it was not possible to definitively identify the community type present;
Proximity of designated sites; and
Where possible to include as wide a variety of community types as would be feasible to visit in the time available.

9. Fieldwork Findings
From the field visits it was found that the mapping and classification of habitat from the aerial imagery was correct within the areas visited with only a few minor discrepancies.
During the site visits a number of non-native species were found at many of the sites visited. The main species were:
Hottentot-fig (Carpobrotus edulis);
Monbretia (Corcosima x crocosiimiflora);
Karo (Pittosporum crassifolium) on Gugh and St. Agnes islands; and
Tresco rhodostachys (Ochagavia carnea) on the island of Tresco.
Similarly, during the site visits possible issues with habitat management were noted.

10. Hottentot-fig – Schedule 9 Species (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981)

11. Hottentot-fig at Tresco, Scilly Isles
An example of the rapid development of Hottenot-fig patches on Tresco, Isles of Scilly.
The first image was acquired in 2008, the second in 2014 and the photograph was taken in 2015 during the field visit. The various patches have clearly begun to merge into a single patch over the last year or so.

12. Montbretia - Kynance Cove.

13. Autumn Ladies Tresses - Dawlish Warren
On a more positive note; while at Dawlish Warren we found a healthy population of Autumn Ladies Tresses (Spiranthes spiralis); a small native orchid. Which appears to be thriving in an area subject to very heavy visitor pressure particularly in the summer months.

16. Summary and Findings Successfully developed and applied methodology
Over 400,000 habitat polygons processed
Ground truthed 23 sites covering over 20km2
Habitats were well identified from Aerial Imagery
Field survey highlighted invasive species which could then be identified on imagery and change analysis undertaken
Data is symbolised and ready for use!