Combined Biotope Classification Scheme (CBiCS): A new marine ecological classification scheme to meet new challenges, Part I: Components and hierarchies (Australian Marine Science Association AMSA Conference 2018)

Summary

A new scheme for marine ecological classification, the Combined Biotope Classification Scheme (CBiCS), was developed to meet the requirements of environmental decision support and to deal with the volumes of data generated by new sensing technologies. We identify the key requirements for the deployment of a successful ecological classification system on the basis of the results of a review of existing schema. CBiCS has been designed on the basis of existing international schema and Australian classification schema that have enjoyed successful uptake and standardisation. The scheme has been adopted by the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning in a program to unify the state’s marine data. In Part I of this series of presentations, we describe the structure of CBiCS and profile the biotic component specifically. We introduce a new temperate reef geoform terminology that aligns with well-established terminology used for tropical reef structures.  We characterise the functionality of the scheme as a unifying framework by applying it to a long-term monitoring and habitat mapping program in Victoria, Australia. We demonstrate a variety of benefits, including for aspects of raw data capture, remote sensing, reporting against trigger values, citizen science and stakeholder communication.