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Ecological modelling
| Method indicator | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bottom-Up | Hybrid | Top-Down |
| YES | ||
Summary of key issues:
| Issue | Description |
|---|---|
| Description | A variety of tools for the assessment of ecological change within estuaries, catchments and coastal cells. |
| Temporal applicability | From short to long-term, dependent on the aim of the assessment. |
| Spatial applicability | Broad scale assessment, whole catchment or coastal cell, to individual species models for an element of the estuarine system. |
| Links with other tools | Ecological modelling can inform a variety of assessment tools, including EGA. |
| Data sources | Dependent on the assessment aims and methodology. |
| Necessary software tools / skills | Dependent on the assessment aims and methodology. |
| Typical analyses | Broad scale ecosystem assessment is required in the context of flood management and coastal defence initiatives and its associated SEA requirements. |
Ecological models have been developed to describe the interactions between physical, chemical and biological components of a system. Generally the models are limited to specific interests of a study, for example, fish or bird populations, benthic communities or habitat types. There are a number of ecological modelling tools that have been developed and the type of model used will depend on the type of data that is available and the question that is being asked. Ecological assessment is based on the Broad Scale Ecological Assessment (BSEA) Toolbox 1 (Defra/EA R&D Project FD2112, Conlan et al., 2006), which seeks to provide a user-friendly package of guidance, data sources and broad ecosystem impact modelling techniques to practitioners undertaking SMP/ CHaMP work within the coastal flood management field.
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