Community Analysis Training Workshop and Support

The Marine Protected Sites team has been undertaking an exercise to identify knowledge gaps for offshore MPAs. This indicated that there are sites where additional information on the biotopes associated with listed protected features would enhance understanding of the structure and function of those protected features, and therefore improve our conservation advice. There are datasets available that can be used to undertake community analysis and biotope assignment from surveys within offshore MPAs. A training workshop is required to teach JNCC staff how to perform community analyses and assign biotopes according to the Marine Habitat Classification of Britain and Ireland. The training workshop will use real datasets from offshore MPAs.An example of the type of content we expect from the workshop is outlined below. We expect the workshop to take 3 days. Tenderers can use this outline as a guide, but should edit or add content, as deemed appropriate, and can suggest alternative timelines.

Overview of content

Day 1 am Background on tests, differences between cluster methods, steps taken to undertake, interpreting results. • Cluster analysis • Ordination • SIMPER • Best analysis

Day 1 pm • Preparing video data for analysis (optional steps depending on data) - assess quality, standardising by area, select subset of images • Preparing grab data for analysis (optional steps depending on data) - standardise by area • Preparing species list - remove pelagic, juveniles etc., remove duplication, dealing with mixed P, SACFOR, count

Day 2am Practical - prepare a dataset for analysis

Day 2 pm • Undertake cluster analysis, ideally in R, - demo • Practical - undertake cluster analysis on a dataset and interpret results • Undertake ordination, ideally in R, - demo • Practical - undertake ordination on a dataset and interpret results

Day 3 am • Merging clusters and rerunning cluster analysis - demo • Merging clusters and rerunning cluster analysis - practical • SIMPER - demo • SIMPER - practical

Day 3 pm • Interpreting results, mapping and matching to biotopes - demo • Interpreting results, mapping and matching to biotopes - practical