From Australian Oceans Data Network
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Shallow water benthic community surveys of the coral reefs of Vanuatu

Created 23/06/2025

Updated 23/06/2025

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Surveys of benthic composition and reef condition were conducted at 139 sites in 35 locations in Vanuatu in 1988.Survey sites were located in the vicinity of the following islands and reefs: Aneityum, Tanna, Erromango, Efate and offshore islands, Cook's Reef, Epi, Paama, Lopevi, Malakula and offshore islands, Pentecost, Santo and offshore islands, Gaua, Reef Islands and Ureparapara.Sites were surveyed on snorkel and surveys were limited to shallow reef areas, covering a range of habitats. Each survey was of 15 to 20 minutes duration and covered an area of around 100 sqm.At each site lists of corals and and other large sessile benthos were compiled. Each taxa was assigned an importance value based on the relative contribution to total benthic cover. Data collected to describe reef condition included estimates of percent cover of living and dead standing hard coral, soft coral, seagrass and macroalgae. Where possible the cause of coral death or damage was recorded.Additional site information included substrate type, slope and maximum and minimum depth as well as details of the aerial photograph which includes each site. The objectives of this research were:1. to determine the location and composition of shallow water benthic communities on Vanuatu coral reefs2. to assess the nature, location and causes of damage to coral reefs This research was a component of a survey of Vanuatu Marine Resources conducted in March/April 1988 and was funded by the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau.The objectives of the survey were:1. to survey and describe the shallow water reef habitats from selected islands of Vanuatu, adequately covering geographical and environmental variation2. to survey and describe the marine habitats around the shores of Malakula, including offshore islands3. to derive a coastal management plan for Malakula and offshore islands which can serve as a basis for Coastal Zone Management plans for the rest of the country4. to train Ni-Vanuatu personnel in marine survey and marine conservation methods

Files and APIs

Additional Info

Field Value
Title Shallow water benthic community surveys of the coral reefs of Vanuatu
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/a3658c07-a299-43be-934e-315c0702f31c
Contact Point
Australian Ocean Data Network
reception@aims.gov.au
Reference Period 20/11/2017
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
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  "type": "Polygon"
}
Data Portal Australian Oceans Data Network

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Australian Oceans Data Network "Shallow water benthic community surveys of the coral reefs of Vanuatu". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://catalogue.aodn.org.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/shallow-water-benthic-community-surveys-of-the-coral-reefs-of-vanuatu1