Heatmaps (geodatabases) were created for invasive non-native species pathways in Welsh waters including commercial shipping, recreational boating, aquaculture, fishing and offshore activities. Heatmaps were produced at both 2km x 2km and 5km x 5km resolutions and have associated symbology layers. An overall heatmap was also produced to highlight key areas which are likely most at risk from invasion of invasive non-native species. This assessment provides a valuable insight into hotspots related to each potential pathway of introduction, the areas where the main areas of risk overlap for the different pathways and their overlap with protected areas. The outputs from this assessment can form the basis to underpin biosecurity planning.
It should be noted, however, that this was a national scale mapping exercise based only on freely available datasets, which themselves have limitations and possible inaccuracies due to incomplete coverage, both temporally and spatially. The scorings applied to the input datasets and weightings applied to the introduction pathways are also based on available literature and expert judgement. Site-specific activities and conditions will always be an important consideration, as well as temporal variations.