Supplementary report to the final report of the coral reef expert group: S7. Coral reef models as assessment and reporting tools for the Reef 2050 Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Program – a review

Abstract

[Extract] The objective of this report is to review the existing models of temporal/spatial dynamics of coral communities available for the Great Barrier Reef (the Reef), with the specific aim at evaluating their strengths and weaknesses for the assessment and reporting of coral reef health within the Reef 2050 Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Program (RIMReP). Focusing on peer-reviewed articles available by 28 February 2018, we found that a variety of modeling approaches exists yet with different scope, level of complexity, and ability to represent the various processes driving the dynamics of coral populations. Tools available to model Reef coral population dynamics also vary in their capacity to capture the spatial heterogeneity of coral populations and their environment, the variability of disturbance impacts and the uncertainty around current reef state and possible future trajectory. The various characteristics and properties exhibited by coral reef models means they have different capacities to complement reef monitoring and assessment on the Reef. This review provides guidance for integrating a modeling component to RIMReP by identifying the modeling approaches that offer the strongest support to reef monitoring and management.

An accessible copy of this report is not yet available from this repository, please contact elibrary@gbrmpa.gov.au for more information.