The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is of immense biological, cultural and economic importance, but has also rapidly degraded over the last 30 years. Improved spatial information on reef geomorphic zonation and benthic cover type (including coral type) is critical to support scientific work to understand how the GBR is changing, and to support resource management decisions that enable conservation of the reef and its essential ecosystem services. Yet, no comprehensive maps exist that detail the geomorphic zonation or benthic cover for the GBR’s ~ 3000 reefs. This study presents three new types of shallow reef maps for 237 reefs in the central Cairns Management Region of the GBR Marine Park (GBRMP), explores how the detailed habitat maps created compared to current maps and posits how the new maps may support and refine current critical key science outputs and management challenges. Geomorphic Zonation, Benthic Cover and Coral Type habitat maps were created using a unique combined object-based image analysis and ecological modelling approach that incorporated satellite imagery, limited field data and key reef physical attributes (depth, slope, waves) using a previously peer-reviewed mapping approach developed for the Capricorn Bunker Group reefs, Southern GBR. The mapping approach was consistent and repeatable, suggesting applicability to mapping all 3000 reefs in the GBRMP. Compared to existing maps that only outline each reef, the increase in detail provided by these new habitat maps enabled discrete characterisation of each reef’s geomorphology and benthic composition. With the new habitat maps, areas within each reef can be identified as either coral habitat or not coral habitat. This has not been possible previously. As such, a model of coral ecological and biophysical processes that depends on bottom reflectance of sand and coral areas can be fine-tuned. Similarly, for reef restoration, nursery structures are commonly placed in non-coral habitats, and/or coral larvae are dispersed in areas of known coral habitat. The new habitat maps presented permit more accurate identification of these areas such that restoration projects can be targeted more effectively. These findings confirm the need to now apply this mapping approach to the full extent of the GBR.

中文翻译：

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栖息地地图，以加强对大堡礁的监测和管理

大堡礁 (GBR) 具有巨大的生物、文化和经济重要性，但在过去 30 年中也迅速退化。改进关于珊瑚礁地貌分带和底栖覆盖类型（包括珊瑚类型）的空间信息对于支持科学工作以了解大堡礁如何变化以及支持资源管理决策至关重要，以保护珊瑚礁及其基本生态系统服务。然而，目前还没有详细描述 GBR 约 3000 个珊瑚礁的地貌分带或底栖覆盖物的综合地图。本研究为 GBR 海洋公园 (GBRMP) 的凯恩斯中部管理区的 237 个珊瑚礁提供了三种新型浅层珊瑚礁地图，探索创建的详细栖息地地图与当前地图相比如何，并假设新地图如何支持和完善当前关键的关键科学成果和管理挑战。地貌分区、底栖覆盖和珊瑚类型栖息地地图是使用独特的组合基于对象的图像分析和生态建模方法创建的，该方法结合了卫星图像、有限的实地数据和关键的珊瑚礁物理属性（深度、坡度、波浪），使用以前的同行 -审查了为 GBR 南部的 Capricorn Bunker Group 珊瑚礁开发的绘图方法。绘图方法一致且可重复，表明适用于绘制 GBRMP 中的所有 3000 个珊瑚礁。与仅勾勒出每个珊瑚礁的现有地图相比，这些新的栖息地地图提供的细节增加使每个珊瑚礁的地貌和底栖组成的离散特征成为可能。使用新的栖息地地图，可以将每个珊瑚礁内的区域确定为珊瑚栖息地或非珊瑚栖息地。这在以前是不可能的。因此，可以微调依赖于沙子和珊瑚区域底部反射率的珊瑚生态和生物物理过程模型。同样，对于珊瑚礁恢复，苗圃结构通常放置在非珊瑚栖息地，和/或珊瑚幼虫分散在已知珊瑚栖息地的区域。提供的新栖息地地图可以更准确地识别这些区域，从而可以更有效地确定恢复项目的目标。这些发现证实了现在需要将这种映射方法应用于 GBR 的全部范围。