Marine biological valuation maps - an example from Belgium
Marine biological valuation maps (BVMs) are maps showing the intrinsic biodiversity value of subzones within a study area. Such maps would need to make best use of available data sets, compiling and summarizing relevant biological and ecological information for a study area, and allocating an overall biological value to different subzones. Subzones are scored relatively to each other using a set of valuation criteria. These maps can be used by policy makers during spatial planning as a kind of “warning systems”. Rather than a general strategy for protecting areas that have some ecological significance, biological valuation is a tool for calling attention to areas which have particularly high ecological or biological significance and to facilitate provision of a greater-than-usual degree of risk aversion in management of activities in such areas. [1]
This is the marine BVM for the Belgian part of the North Sea.
The map is one of the end results of the BWZee project (2004-2007).[2]
References
- ↑ Derous S., Agardy T., Hillewaert H., Hostens K., Jamieson G., Lieberknecht L., Mees J., Moulaert I., Olenin S., Paelinckx D., Rabaut M., Rachor E., Roff J., Stienen E.W.M., van der Wal J.T., Van Lancker V., Verfaillie E., Vincx M., Weslawski J.M., Degraer S. (2007). A concept for biological valuation in the marine environment. Oceanologia 49 (1).
- ↑ Derous S., Courtens W., Cuvelier D., Deckers P., Deneudt K., Hillewaert H., Hostens K., Mees J., Moulaert I., Stienen E.W.M., Van Lancker V., Verfaillie E., Vincx M., Degraer S. (2007) A biological valuation map for the Belgian part of the North Sea: BWZee. Final report, Research in the framework of the BSP programme "Sustainable Management of the Sea" - SPSD II, March 2007, pp. 99 (+ Annexes).
