VDK_hard coral cover

Hard coral cover at reef sites in the Velondriake LMMA two years before and two years after the occurrence of Cyclone Haruna.
Point Intersect Transects (PITs) were used to survey hard coral cover (HCC) and the morphology of adult corals (>10cm in diameter). Transects were placed randomly at each site running east to west for all patch reefs and west-facing sites and, north to south for south facing sites. The number of transects undertaken ranged between 6 and 30 and was determined by the size of the site. One observer per transect made fifty observations at 20 cm intervals along each 9.8 m transect: the first being at 0.0 m and the fiftieth at 9.8 m.