In a new study, Dr. Greg Asner and his research team quantified live coral cover across the Main Hawaiʿian Islands using a new airborne mapping approach. Results revealed areas of potential coral refugia and differences in live coral distributions within and across islands, providing managers with a snapshot of the current condition of Hawaiʿian reefs.
This analysis has implications for a range of conservation and management efforts, most specifically Hawaiʿi’s Marine 30-by-30 Initiative, including:
Read the full paper here.
Reference
Asner, G.P., Vaughn, N.R., Heckler, J., Knapp, D.E., Balzotti, C., Shafron, E., Martin, R.E., Neilson, B.J., Gove, J.M. (2020). Large-scale Mapping of Live Corals to Guide Reef Conservation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.