[Coral-List] GBR biodiversity review and new hard coral genus-level identification manual

[Zoe Richards]

Hi all,
For those interested in the status and future of biodiversity on the Great Barrier Reef please see this newly published review:
Biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef – how adequately is it protected?
https://peerj.com/articles/4747/

The intention of the review is to inspire discussion about not only the diverse array of cumulative impacts affecting species on the GBR, but also about the risk that silent extinctions will, or have already occurred on the GBR. The paper provides some possible options for adapting and expanding species level monitoring and reporting programs and concludes that unless more specific action is taken to evaluate and manage biodiversity we may fail to pass onto future generations many of the values that comprise what is universally regarded as the world’s most iconic coral reef ecosystem.

To support further monitoring and research of hard corals in the Indo-Pacific, I have updated the hard coral genus identification manual for Western Australia. Version 2 of the manual provides a synopsis of the latest changes to the scleractinian coral classification system based on recent integrated molecular systematic research. While the manual has been created for Western Australia, it includes the majority of coral genera that are found in the wider Indo-Pacific region so it will be relevant for use in other regions.

The manual is available for individual, non-commercial use and can be downloaded as a pdf by clicking this link: http://museum.wa.gov.au/kimberley/coral-compactus-western-australia-hard-coral-genus-identification-guide-version-11

All the best,
Zoe

Zoe Richards
Research Fellow | Curtin University
Research Associate | Department of Aquatic Zoology | Western Australian Museum