1 1.10 Application of estuarine and coastal classifications in marine ...
1 1.10 Application of estuarine and coastal classifications in marine ...
1 1.10 Application of estuarine and coastal classifications in marine ...
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levels <strong>of</strong> the hierarchy are def<strong>in</strong>ed by ecosystem processes <strong>and</strong> by spatial relationships. Stated<br />
management utility <strong>in</strong>cludes: 1) Del<strong>in</strong>eation <strong>of</strong> regions for mar<strong>in</strong>e protected areas <strong>and</strong> develop<strong>in</strong>g<br />
guidel<strong>in</strong>es for their management; 2) Identification <strong>of</strong> important habitats <strong>and</strong> critical hotspots for<br />
conservation; 3) Identification <strong>of</strong> Essential Fish Habitat (EFH); <strong>and</strong> 4) Form<strong>in</strong>g a scientific basis<br />
for the development, implementation <strong>and</strong> monitor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> ecosystem-based management strategies<br />
for <strong>coastal</strong> systems (Madden <strong>and</strong> Grossman 2008).<br />
For threatened <strong>and</strong> vulnerable shallow-water <strong>coastal</strong> ecosystems such as tropical coral<br />
reefs, habitat mapp<strong>in</strong>g is essential for the development <strong>of</strong> effective mar<strong>in</strong>e management plans<br />
<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g MPA site selection <strong>and</strong> other conservation prioritization activities. Information ga<strong>in</strong>ed<br />
from coral reef mapp<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>cludes identify<strong>in</strong>g essential fish habitat <strong>and</strong> other ecologically<br />
sensitive areas for protection, calculat<strong>in</strong>g volumetric or area measurements <strong>of</strong> anthropogenic<br />
impacts, identify<strong>in</strong>g reef gaps for submar<strong>in</strong>e cable placement, <strong>and</strong> locat<strong>in</strong>g areas for artificial<br />
reef enhancement. To address multiple management <strong>and</strong> research objectives, NOAA’s Benthic<br />
Habitat Classification for Puerto Rico <strong>and</strong> the U.S. Virg<strong>in</strong> Isl<strong>and</strong>s (Kendall 2001) was developed<br />
with a hierarchical structure that <strong>in</strong>tegrates four levels <strong>of</strong> classification for mapp<strong>in</strong>g coral reef<br />
ecosystems <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g: 1) Geomorphological zone (e.g., forereef, bank etc.); 2) Habitat structure<br />
(e.g., colonized hardbottom); 3) Habitat type (e.g., l<strong>in</strong>ear reef, seagrass) <strong>and</strong> 4) Modifiers used to<br />
show the proportion (% cover) <strong>of</strong> area coverage for macroalgae <strong>and</strong> seagrasses. A hierarchical<br />
structure means that different analyses <strong>and</strong> different levels <strong>of</strong> features can be utilized for<br />
different levels <strong>of</strong> management decision mak<strong>in</strong>g. For example, the percentage seagrass cover<br />
was used as a variable for quantify<strong>in</strong>g changes <strong>in</strong> the spatial distribution <strong>of</strong> seagrasses <strong>and</strong> the<br />
impact from hurricanes over 30 years (Kendall et al. 2004). In 2008, a new classification was<br />
developed for application to f<strong>in</strong>er resolution benthic habitat maps for St John <strong>in</strong> the U.S. Virg<strong>in</strong><br />
13