Traditional vs new approaches for assessing coral health: A global overview and the paradigm of French polynesia
Abstract
Today, there is increasing concern regarding the capacity of
Scleractinian corals to sustain the growing number of insults
associated with global and local changes (e.g. global warming,
ocean acidification, pollution). If corals are to exist, there is an
urgent need to use indicators of coral health that provide insight
into early sub lethal shifts in corals before the irreversible
effects of exposure manifest at the population and community
levels. This paper will provide an overview of the most relevant
and appropriate indicators of coral health currently used
in traditional monitoring programs (traditional approach) or
those that could be used in a near future to improve assessment
of coral health (new and proactive approach). In addition, by
using French Polynesia coral reefs as a study case, this paper
will present how coral health was assessed in the past and how
it will be in a near future.