It has been agreed that conservation value will be mapped as having four components. The primary component will be ecological value which will determine whether the area is given an A, B, C or D rating. The remaining three conservation components are those associated with heritage, recreation and landscape.

While a total of ten days of survey effort was initially assigned to heritage surveys, it has been agreed with PlanD and AMO to use the ten days, instead of conducting site visits, to digitise existing heritage information designated provided by AMO. Heritage value was therefore mapped on the basis of existing information provided by AMO.

For recreational and landscape value, it has been agreed that none of the field survey effort for this study should be allocated to recreational or landscape surveys and that recreational and landscape value would be mapped based on a review of existing information. While no field effort would be specially devoted to landscape and recreational value, field surveyors have, instead, made opportunistic notes of any observed recreational and landscape value features at sites during the ecological surveys on the basis of guidance provided in the EIAO TM. Recreational/landscape conservation value in an area was assessed by applying the agreed criteria to existing information sources (including the pertinent field notes). The Study Team have collated all existing information and features of recreational and landscape value have been included onto the habitat map. Value of the recreational and landscape components have been ranked as either present or absent for each area.

As required by the Study Brief, habitat areas should have values assigned to them based on their heritage, recreational and landscape value. To achieve this, spatial datasets must be created for each feature deemed to be important in terms of the above categories. The layers can then be overlaid on the habitat map and values assigned to the polygons that comprise it. Descriptions on how these layers have been created for individual components are provided in the following sections.