This data shows the suitable habitats for
the seagrass distribution in Bougainville derived from the global dataset.

Species occurrence records were extracted from the Global Biodiversity
Information Facility (GBIF), United Nations Environment Programme-World
Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) Ocean Data Viewer and Ocean
biogeographic information system (OBIS).

• Seagrass
• biodiversity
• biome

Existing seagrass distribution datasets still suffer from known spatial gaps in
knowledge, for instance, the north east Pacific, the coastal area of Scandinavia and
the Northern African coast, are at best characterised by point occurrence records,
whilst extensive meadows are known to occur. Point occurrence datasets cannot
be used in area surface calculations as they do not indicate the spatial extent of
seagrass beds. In the absence of in-situ mapping of seagrass extent at a global scale,
existing occurrence data can be used in species distribution models to map the
biome in unsurveyed areas, and indeed some regional attempts have been made.
This polygon layer is a result of a MaxEnt model of the global distribution of
seagrass using all available point records. 

The spatial resolution of the map is plus or minus 1 km (30 arc second). The
predicted extent is based on past data records and environmental distribution
modelling. The present distribution at local scales would need confirmation from
field observations. 

https://data.unep-wcmc.org/datasets/46