An integrated method to evaluate and monitor the conservation state of coralligenous habitats: The INDEX-COR approach

10 páginas, 3 figuras, 4 tablas.

A new method based on photographic sampling coupled with in situ observations was applied to 53 stations along the French Mediterranean coast, to assess the integrity of coralligenous reefs affected by different levels of anthropogenic pressure. The conservation state of the assemblages characterizing these habitats was then assessed by an index – the INDEX-COR – that integrates three metrics: (i) the sensitivity of the taxa to organic matter and sediment deposition, (ii) the observable taxonomic richness, and (iii) the structural complexity of the assemblages. The sensitivity of INDEX-COR was tested and showed good correlation with the Level of Pressure calculated for each station according to expert judgment and field observations.

We would like to thank the French Protected Marine Areas Agency (AAMP) for its financial support to this project (convention n°3211545/ F). We also thank the Marine Protected Areas involved in the INDEXFig. 3. Color-coded representation of the conservation state of coralligenous habitats along the coasts of Provence. Orange: poor status; yellow: moderate status; green: good status; blue: high status. (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.) S. Sartoretto et al. Marine Pollution Bulletin xxx (xxxx) xxx–xxx 8 COR program for their technical support (boats and divers), especially the directors and the staff of the “Parc Marin de la Côte Bleue”, the “Observatoire Marin du Littoral des Maures” and the “Aire Marine Protégée de la Côte Agathoise”. This work was also supported by the ERA-NET (SeasEra) CIGESMED Program (contract 2014/3/3211985).

Peer reviewed