Benthic Habitat GIS data of Sampling Sites within the Flinders Commonwealth Marine Reserve

This GIS layer is the product of interpreted multibeam acoustic data charaterising the distribution pattern of seafloor habitats at forty sampling sites within the Flinders Commonwealth Marine Reserve. The three classes that were mapped include hard, mixed and soft substrate. Mappin the Flinders CMR is a prerequisite to understanding the relationships between inshore (shelf) and offshore (slope) habitats and therefore representing a key element in developing effective management for the depth strata across the entire CMR. Habitat characterisation provides the underlying spatial framework for developing models of habitat dynamics, trophic interactions and spatial distribution of marine biodiversity.