NBN Habitats Dictionary - Which classification should I use?

About the Habitats Dictionary Project
About the National Biodiversity Network
Data included in the Dictionary
Scope of the Habitats Dictionary
Relationships between classifications
Which classification should I use?
Habitat classifications not in the Dictionary
Use of data
Acknowledgments

Which classification should I use?

A "Select" classification is restricted to particular legislative purposes, and an "Ecosystem" classification to a particular ecosystem, whereas a "Comprehensive" classification covers all the land (and/or seabed) area.

Please note: the following are the opinions of the developer of the NBN Habitats Dictionary, and are not the policy of NBN or any of its partners.

NAME	SCOPE	STRENGTHS	WEAKNESSES
Biodiversity Action Plan Broad Habitat Classification	Comprehensive	Covers all UK in a small number of types Used in a number of UK assessments, e.g. UK Land Cover Map	Several awkward combinations, e.g. inland rock includes crags, slate quarries, gravel pits and grassland on spoil tips.
Biodiversity Action Plan Priority Habitats	Select	Identifies habitat types requiring Habitat Action Plans	Priority habitats do not fit uniquely within broad habitats Inadequate to accommodate the variety of interest features used in national and international designations.
Birks and Ratcliffe Upland Survey	Ecosystem		This 1980s classification has been superseded by NVC
Botanical Classification of Standing Waters	Ecosystem	Publication of a revised version is expected in 2005 This will be available (acronym LAKES) in this Dictionary	Obsolete classification
British Trust for Ornithology Bird Habitat Coding Scheme	Comprehensive	Includes management information relevant to analysis of BTO data	The habitat types cannot readily be compared with the other classifications
CORINE Biotopes Project Habitat Classification	Comprehensive		This 1980s classification has been superseded by the Palaearctic habitat classification and EUNIS habitat classification Includes a large number of habitats not found in UK
EU Habitats Directive Annex I	Select	Identifies habitat types requiring conservation under the EU Habitats Directive	No easy correspondence to other classifications
EUNIS Classification	Comprehensive	Provides a standard classification for use across Europe Includes diagnostic keys to distinguish habitat types Includes relationships between European and national classifications	Includes a large number of habitats not found in UK, with too much detail for some UK applications
Integrated Habitat System	Comprehensive	Aims to integrate the collection, management and analysis of habitat data across the UK.	Licence fee required for full functionality including customised conversion between classifications.
Marine Habitat Classification	Ecosystem	Covers all marine habitats hierarchically Supported by website and underlying sample data Completely revised 2004
National Vegetation Classification	Comprehensive	Covers all plant communities	A classification of vegetation types, not habitats Application requires botanical expertise
Peterken Woodland Stand Types	Ecosystem		This 1980s classification has been superseded by NVC
Phase 1 Habitat Classification	Comprehensive	Widely used by nature conservation practitioners for field habitat mapping Accessible to non-specialists using field manual	Lacking in detail for some functional uses
Seabird 2000 Habitats	Ecosystem	Extract from the BTO habitat coding designed for a specific project	The habitat types cannot readily be compared with the other classifications
Shimwell Urban Habitat Classification	Ecosystem		This 1980s classification was not published and is not widely known
Vegetation communities of British Rivers	Ecosystem	The most comprehensive classification available for river ecosystems

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