Andréfouët Serge auteur aut IRD Derville S. auteur aut IRD Buttin J. auteur aut IRD Dirberg G. auteur aut IRD Wabnitz C. C. C. auteur aut IRD Garrigue Claire auteur aut IRD Payri Claude auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access Despite their ecological role and multiple contributions to human societies, the distribution of Indo-Pacific seagrasses remains poorly known in many places. Herein, we outline a hierarchical spatially-explicit assessment framework to derive nation-wide synoptic knowledge of the distribution of seagrass species and communities. We applied the framework to New Caledonia (southwest Pacific Ocean) and its 36,200 km(2) of reefs and lagoons. The framework is primarily field-based but can leverage various habitat maps derived from remote sensing. Field data collection can be stratified by map products and retrospectively contribute to developing new seagrass distribution maps. Airborne and satellite remote sensing alone do not allow for the spatial generalisation of the finest attributes (species distribution and types of seagrass beds), but staged stratified field sampling provides synoptic views of these attributes. Using three examples, we discuss how the hierarchical and spatial information generated from this framework's application can inform conservation and management objectives. specialized Coral reefs Lagoon Habitat mapping Remote sensing Dugong UNESCO Landsat PACIFIQUE NOUVELLE CALEDONIE 036 126 034 173 A 113036 [16 ] 2021 0025-326X https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010083319 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113036 0025-326X [F B010083319] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010083319 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2021-12/010083319.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2021-12-03 2025-02-24 fdi:010083319 fre