About

The Combined Biotope Classification Scheme (CBiCS) combines the core elements of the CMECS habitat classification scheme and the JNCC/EUNIS biotope classification scheme.

CBiCS adapts and builds on the framework provided by these two internationally applied schema. It was developed according to the following objectives:

  • provide a standardised scheme for habitat mapping at a level of resolution relevant to ecological processes and environmental management decision support.
  • provide a scheme for monitoring and reporting of community states and successions.
  • be consistent with existing, proven, and well documented schemes.
  • be hierarchical to enable classification, mapping and modelling across different data types and at different levels of data resolution, quality and expertise.
  • have geomorphic and substrate components that are hierarchical and have a basis in ecology so that higher level classes provide some level of prediction for the presence of a biotopes.
  • provide a framework for the use of remote sensing data and advances in optical and acoustic survey techniques in biological community assessment.
  • provide a classification scheme that facilitates machine learning and automated image processing.

Modifications

To meet these objectives, CBiCS made the following adaptations from the CMECS and JNCC schema:

  • combination of the CMECS abiotic component with the JNCC biotope classes.
  • additional, smaller-scale biogeographical units to allow for local bioregionalisations, such as the Australian IMCRA bioregions.
  • restructuring of the substratum component hierarchy to include ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ at the top level to facilitate coarse level acoustic and remote sensing mapping and be consistent with the top-level divisions of the biotic component, as per JNCC and EUNIS.
  • separation of substrate origin from the classification hierarchy as this not a readily determined parameter.
  • additional levels in the geoform hierarchy to provide improved concordance between geoforms and relevant biotic classes.
  • inclusion of habitats not provided in the European / JNCC  biotic scheme, such as shallow/mesophotic coral reefs.
  • adaptations to the JNCC hierarchical scaling of habitat complexes, including the division of ‘vegetated sediment’ into the classes of drift algal bed, seagrass bed and macroalgal bed and additional types of biogenic reefs.
  • integration of a ‘morphospecies’ classification scheme for scoring imagery and describing biotopes.

Biotopes

A basic tenet of CBiCS uses the biotope as the desirable unit of classification. This resolution is considered most suitable for natural resource monitoring, evaluation and managemen. The scheme can be also used to classify and map at higher levels of the hierarchy, such as for broad scale regional mapping purposes.

Biotopes are defined as biological communities that consistently occur within a defined set of abiotic habitat features.

Components

There are seven components to the CBiCS scheme:

aquatic setting
biogeographic setting
water column component
substrate component
geoform component
biotic component
morphospecies component

Each component has a set of hierarchical classes. The first five components are based on CMECS and the sixth biotic component, was adapted from JNCC /EUNIS. The primary tool for marine monitoring and mapping of biotopes uses visual observer and imagery methods. Often, the species cannot be determined without collected specimens or are undescribed. A completely new morphospecies component was added to CBiCS to provide a standardised means of description using visual morphological features.

CBiCS integrates the abiotic and biotic components to produce a biotope classification.