EUSeaMap 2025 Broad-Scale Predictive Habitat Map for Europe - Confidence in Classification of MSFD Benthic Broad Habitat Types, EUNIS 2019 Habitats, and Helcom Hub and Barcelona Convention Regional Classification Systems

Confidence in the classification of:

• the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) Benthic Broad Habitat Types (V. 2017)
• the EUNIS 2019 habitat types
• the Helcom Hub regional classification system habitat types
• the Barcelona Convention classification system habitat types in the 2025 EUSeaMap broad-scale predictive habitat map, these were updated in the 2025 version.

Values are 1 (Low confidence), 2 (Moderate confidence) or 3 (High confidence).

The final habitat type is classified by overlaying several layers of information; these layers of information are collectively known as 'habitat descriptors'. Habitat descriptors differ per region but include: Biological zone Energy class Oxygen regime Salinity regime Seabed substrate Riverine input

The confidence in the classification of the habitat type is taken as the minimum of the confidence in all of the relevant habitat descriptors at that location.

Confidence values are also available for each habitat descriptor and input data layer.

A report on the methods used in the 2025 version of EUSeaMap will be published in due course and reports on previous versions (v2016, v2019, v2021, v2023) are linked in lineage.

Created by the EMODnet Seabed Habitats project consortium.

Credit: Licensed under CC-BY 4.0 from the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) Seabed Habitats initiative (https://emodnet.ec.europa.eu/en/seabed-habitats), funded by the European Commission.

It is important to note that a habitat type confidence score is only relevant to that particular level of the classification system.