This GIS layer is the product of interpreted multibeam acoustic data charaterising the distribution pattern of seafloor habitats at forty sampling sites within the Flinders Commonwealth Marine Reserve. The three classes that were mapped include hard, mixed and soft substrate. Mappin the Flinders CMR is a prerequisite to understanding the relationships between inshore (shelf) and offshore (slope) habitats and therefore representing a key element in developing effective management for the depth strata across the entire CMR. Habitat characterisation provides the underlying spatial framework for developing models of habitat dynamics, trophic interactions and spatial distribution of marine biodiversity.

The Tasman Fracture Commonwealth Reserve complements the Port Davey Marine Reserve (encompassing Port Davey, Bathurst Channel and Bathurst Harbour), which was proclaimed by the Tasmanian Government in 2005. It spans the continental shelf, continental slope and deeper water ecosystems south of Tasmania, and is scored by steep canyons. It also encloses other geological features, including steep escarpments and troughs, saddles, basins, and part of a plateau that is over 400 km long and rises up to 3 km above the sea floor. The reserve includes a number of undersea peaks rising to less than 1500 m below the sea surface that provide habitat to deepwater hard corals. These corals provide a structure and habitat for a rich diversity of marine invertebrate animals that live attached corals. This record describes a geomorphology map for the Tasman Fracture CMR that was prepared using bathymetry and backscatter data sourced from CSIRO and Geoscience Australia.

The Huon Commonwealth Marine Reserve (CMR) covers a broad depth range from the inner continental shelf at about 70 m, to abyssal depths of more than 3000 m. The majority of the area is in deep water. The Tasman Seamounts Marine Reserve that was proclaimed in 1999 has been wholly incorporated into the Huon Commonwealth marine reserve. The reserve contains a cluster of seamounts that appear as cone-shaped submerged mountains, which provide a range of depths for a diversity of plants and animals. The peaks of many of the reserve's seamounts are between 750 m and 1000 m below the sea surface and support endemic species, including large erect corals and sponges. Some of the flora and fauna are hundreds and possibly thousands of years old, making them some of the longest-lived animals on Earth. The reserve also provides an important connection between seamounts of the Indian Ocean and the Tasman Sea. This map of the geomorphology of the Huon CMR was prepared for the NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub Theme D (1) project: National data collation, synthesis and visualisation to support sustainable use, management and monitoring of marine assets.