McMellor, S: A multi-metric index for coral reef survey, eva

Due to the importance of coral reefs to local communities and the increasing level of natural and anthropogenic impacts upon them, accurate monitoring and assessment of reef condition is necessary to allow the management and sustainable use of these resources. This book tests and compares several commonly utilised benthic sampling techniques and whether they can be implemented to provide data to assess reef condition and help prioritise areas for conservation. Commonly recorded reef assessment attributes were identified to show differentiation between sites of varied condition and combined into a two part multi-metric Conservation Value Index (CVI). This index was then tested and used to assess the condition of several reefs in two Marine Protected Areas, the Wakatobi Marine National Park, Sulawesi, Indonesia and the Ras Mohammed National Park, Sinai, Egypt. The proposed index meets the requirements of a readily understood assessment method that can be use to disseminate complex biological data to managers, politicians, funding bodies and other stakeholders.