Mapping Marine Benthic Biodiversity in Wales dataset https://portal.medin.org.uk/portal/start.php?tpc=007_NRW_DS111816 The UK is committed through international agreements and European obligations to the establishment of an ecologically coherent network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to conserve marine ecosystems and biodiversity. The identification of areas of high biodiversity may be helpful for planning both Marine Protected Areas and for Marine Spatial Planning and can contribute to an ecosystem-based approach to the management of our seas. Furthermore, identifying which areas are most important for biodiversity not only yields benefits for the maintenance of ecosystem structure and functioning but can also enable cost effective prioritisation of areas for marine protection. Each data layer produced in relation to this project has its own metadata entry. The main objective of the project is to provide maps indicating different levels of biodiversity in Welsh waters (including the intertidal). The data covers the Welsh coastline from mean high water to 12 nautical miles offshore. 20100331