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Datasets / Australian Ocean Data Network (AODN)

Parks Australia's Natural Values Ecosystems 2025 (NESP MaC 4.20)

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The Parks Australia Management Effectiveness (ME) system - previously MERI - is underpinned by a controlled, common language that provides a nationally consistent lexicon for a) Natural, cultural, and heritage values; (b) Social, cultural, and economic benefits; (c) Activities and anthropogenic pressures; and (d) Biophysical, and social and economic drivers.

The Natural Values component of the common language is defined at three levels: 1) ecosystem complexes; 2) ecosystems; and 3) ecosystem components. This map shows the Ecosystems (tier 2) component of the Natural Values, and delineates features by habitat and depth for the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

This version (2025) of the National Values Ecosystems dataset uses Geoscience Australia's 250m resolution AusBathyTopo 2024 grid as the basis for the map. The dataset is an interim product between the 2022 version (https://doi.org/10.25959/HEKR-NR42) and an upcoming 2026 revision. The 2025 update incorporates revised and improved input datasets that have become available since the previous release. Several classification rules were updated to align with these inputs, including the use of Seamap Australia National Benthic Habitat Layer data as the primary source for mapped seagrass and coral reef occurrence.

Note that this dataset uses a combination of input data sources and interpolates where data gaps exist. The common language adopts a functional, largely geo-physical perspective to define surrogates for marine ecosystems. This dataset is not a substitute for a validated habitat map (see Seamap Australia National Benthic Habitat Layer: https://metadata.imas.utas.edu.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/4739e4b0-4dba-4ec5-b658-02c09f27ab9a), but has a national coverage and provides valuable broad-scale categorisation of marine ecosystems in Australian waters.

See Hayes et al. 2021 and Dunstan et al. 2023 for a full definition of the Natural Values Ecosystem terms. See the 'lineage' section of this record for full processing notes.

***An updated version of this data is available, please see https://metadata.imas.utas.edu.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/c6ed3079-f030-49e6-8316-a9595ed70f75 ***

Data and resources

Additional information

Temporal extent2016-01-01 – ongoing
Date (creation)2026-05-13
Statussuperseded
Update frequencyasNeeded
Metadata languageen
LicenseCreative Commons Attribution 4.0
Source metadataISO 19115 XML
Last updated2026-11-05
Created2026-11-05
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