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CHaPTeR 3 Method of data analysis and collection
the workshop was also to cover a discussion of any ecological relationships and processes
relevant to any of the proposed communities with which the panel were familiar.
The review panel was firstly presented with the background to the project and study area as
well as the methods used during the classification process. The terms of reference of the review
panel as well as workshop procedures were supplied to participants prior to the workshop (see
Appendix 5). Participants were also supplied with tables of species fidelity data for all draft
groups and a group-level dendrogram of the draft classification. The dendrogram used for this
process was based on the group centroids of the draft groups and included groups defined
for sites with less than 10 species which had been previously removed from the analyses but
excluded all unallocated sites (see Appendix 4). In addition to these materials, the sites for each
group were displayed in a GIS against a satellite image background to give a landscape context
to the discussions. Other GIS data were also available to support this process.
The discussion of groups proceeded in dendrogram order and all comments were recorded and
later collated (see Appendix 6). The collated feedback on draft communities included advice
from the panel on whether to accept groups as currently defined or to further refine groups
by either merging, splitting or removing the data from the classification. Possible outlier sites
were also identified by the panel and these were recorded as were any comments relating to the
distribution of proposed communities beyond the distribution of the samples that constituted
the group within the classification. As previously mentioned, unallocated sites were also
reviewed and advice was recorded on whether the sites should be removed, included within
one of the existing groups or defined as a poorly sampled group (see Appendix 6).
3.4.8 Finalisation of vegetation classification scheme
The collated feedback from the review workshop was presented to the classification team to
inform the process of finalising the classification. In principle it was decided that advice from
the panel, where general agreement was reached, was to be adopted where it was seen to be
in keeping with the statistical basis of the classification. However, the final decision on any
changes was to reside with the classification team and the project coordinator. Most proposed
changes were adopted, subject to the rule set outlined above for reallocating sites between
groups.
3.4.9 Expert grasslands communities workshop
As the majority of the survey data collated and collected for this study sampled woody
vegetation it was felt that non-woody communities, including grasslands, would possibly be
poorly represented in the numerical classification. For this reason it was decided to convene
an expert workshop on native grasslands of the study area to supplement the numerical
classification work. The workshop involved a number of experts in the field of native grasses
and grasslands and looked at both derived and natural grasslands which the experts were
familiar with within the study area. The geographic range and associated environmental factors
(soils, geology, topography, etc.) for each of the proposed grassland communities were also
discussed. The workshop also covered issues relating to the survey and mapping of grassland
communities. The results of the grasslands workshop are presented in section 4.3.4 below and
the proposed grassland communities are listed with those derived from the PATN analyses as
well as those proposed during the review process in Table 4.6.
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