@article{fdi:010066287,
  title = {{C}oral reef monitoring in the {I}les {E}parses, {M}ozambique {C}hannel (2011-2013)},
  author = {{C}habanet, {P}ascale and {B}igot, {L}. and {N}icet, {J}. {B}. and {D}urville, {P}. and {M}asse, {L}. and {M}ulochau, {T}. and {R}usso, {C}. and {T}essier, {E}. and {O}bura, {D}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{M}onitoring of coral reefs has become a major tool for understanding how they are changing, and for managing them in a context of increasing degradation of coastal ecosystems. {T}he {G}lobal {C}oral {R}eef {M}onitoring {N}etwork ({GCRMN}) has near-global coverage, but there are few remote sites free of direct human impact that can serve as reference sites. {T}his study provides baseline data for the {F}rench {I}les {E}parses in the {M}ozambique {C}hannel, {W}estern {I}ndian {O}cean ({W}l{O}), whose coral reefs are little known owing to their limited accessibility, and have been free from fishing pressure for over 20 years. {S}urveys of coral reef health and fish community structure were undertaken at four of the islands ({E}uropa, {B}assas da {I}ndia, {J}uan de {N}ova and {G}lorieuses) in 2011-2013. {M}onitoring was conducted using standardized {GCRMN} methods for benthos and fish communities, at the highest taxonomic level. {B}enthic cover showed a latitudinal gradient, with higher coral cover and conversely lower algae cover (60% and 14% respectively) in the south of the {M}ozambique {C}hannel. {T}his could be due to the geomorphology of the islands, the latitudinal temperature gradient, and/or the history of chronic stress and bleaching events during the last decades. {F}ish also showed a latitudinal gradient with higher diversity in the north, in a center of diversity for the western {I}ndian {O}cean already recognized for corals. {A}n exceptional biomass fish was recorded (approximately 3500 kg/ha excluding sharks, compared to a maximum of 1400 kg/ha elsewhere in the {WIO}). {T}he presence of large predators and sharks in all the islands as well as the absence of fleshy benthic algae were indicators of the good health of the reef systems. {N}evertheless, these islands are beginning to experience illegal fishing, particularly in the north of the {M}ozambique {C}hannel, demonstrating their vulnerability to exploitation and the need to protect them as reference sites for coral reef studies, including of climate change impacts, for the region and globally.},
  keywords = {{C}oral reefs ; {W}estern {I}ndian {O}cean ; {M}ozambique {C}hannel ; {GCRMN} ; {R}emote areas ; {F}ish biomass ; {OCEAN} {INDIEN} {OUEST} ; {MOZAMBIQUE} {CANAL} ; {EPARSES} {ILES}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{A}cta {O}ecologica},
  volume = {72},
  numero = {no sp{\'e}cial},
  pages = {62--71},
  ISSN = {1146-609{X}},
  year = {2016},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.actao.2015.10.010},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010066287},
}