Southeast Florida shallow-water habitat mapping & coral reef community characterization : final report Southeast Florida shallow-water habitat mapping and coral reef community characterization

"Baseline mapping and quantitative assessment data are required prior to future permitted or un-permitted impacts in order to determine the pre-existing state of the benthic resources; therefore, it is imperative that these data be collected on the ecologically sensitive and economically valuable shallow-water coral reef habitats in southeast Florida. In southeast Florida, the nearshore reef habitats are most vulnerable to coastal construction activities and other anthropogenic impacts, therefore these habitats were the focus for this study. The study goals were to provide a spatially appropriate map of increased resolution and a regional quantitative characterization of nearshore benthic resources to evaluate differences in benthic communities between habitats and with latitude for the southeast Florida region of the Florida Reef Tract. This study is a snapshot habitat characterization providing the current status of shallow-water coral reef community composition. Additionally, these data can be used to reduce un-permitted impacts by informing marine zoning efforts and aid in the creation of new no-anchor zones"--Executive summary. 2014 Grant no. NA11N0S4820003 Flordia Department of Environmental Protection, RM118 NOS (National Ocean Service) CoRIS (Coral Reef Information System) Library CRCP Project ID ; LAS 5 Public Domain 1858