Tongan socio-environmental spatial layers for marine ecosystem management

Abstract [Related Publication]:
Environmental conditions and anthropogenic impacts are key influences on ecological processes and associated ecosystem services. Effective management of Tonga's marine ecosystems therefore depends on accurate and up-to-date knowledge of environmental and anthropogenic variables. Although many types of environmental and anthropogenic data are now available in global layers, they are often inaccessible to end users, particularly in developing countries with limited accessibility and analytical training. Furthermore, the resolution of many global layers might not be sufficient to make informed local decisions. While the near-shore marine ecosystem of Tonga is extensive, the resources available for its management are limited and little is known about its current ecological state. Here we provide a marine socio-environmental dataset covering Tonga's near-shore marine ecosystem as compiled from various global layers, remote sensing projects, local ministries, and the 2016 national census. The dataset consists of eleven environmental and six anthropogenic variables summarized in ecologically relevant ways, spatially overlaid across the near-shore marine ecosystem of Tonga. The environmental variables selected include: bathymetry, coral reef density, distance from deep water, distance from land, distance from major terrestrial inputs, habitat, land area, net primary productivity, salinity, sea surface temperature, and wave energy. The anthropogenic variables selected include: fishing pressure, management status, distance to fish markets, distance from villages, population pressure, and a socioeconomic development index based on population density, growth, mean age, mean education level, and unemployment. This extensive and accessible dataset will be an essential tool for future assessment and management of marine ecosystems in Tonga.
Dataset listing [PANGAEA]:

File name
File format
File size [kByte]

Bathymetry
TIF
93885.032

ReefDensity_15km
TIF
39158.054

ReefDensity_5km
TIF
21771.768

Distance_10mContour
TIF
68373.329

Distance_20mContour
TIF
77987.28

Distance_lagoons
TIF
106843.335

Distance_land
TIF
38693.736

Distance_market
TIF
96576.819

Distance_village
TIF
101002.511

Fishing_Pressure_Current
TIF
31535.278

Fishing_Pressure_Null
TIF
31630.015

Fishing_Pressure_Old
TIF
31550.427

Land_area_15km
TIF
61707.67

Land_area_5km
TIF
24986.557

NPP
TIF
65.312

Population_Density_15km
TIF
44704.73

Population_Density_30km
TIF
47228.137

Population_Density_5km
TIF
15398.807

Reef_All_Tonga
TIF
7362.5

Salinity
TIF
193.385

Socioeconomic_Development_10km
TIF
35433.595

Socioeconomic_Development_2km
TIF
29985.208

Socioeconomic_Development_5km
TIF
32181.337

SST
TIF
257.416

Wave_Energy
TIF
21118.538

Fish_Habitat_Reserves
ZIP
13.068

Lagoons
ZIP
10.209

Land_Tonga
ZIP
241.966

Markets
ZIP
1.259

Special_Management_Areas
ZIP
12.831

TOHA_20160603_Habitat_classes_consolidated
ZIP
21847.566

TONO_MCRM_Habitat_consolidated
ZIP
282.414

TOVA_20161017_Habitat-classes_consolidated
ZIP
11032.747

Villages
ZIP
51.944