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Mapping and monitoring intertidal benthic habitats: a review of techniques and a proposal for a new visual methodology for the European coasts

CNRS, UMR 7208 BOREA, CRESCO, 38 rue du Port Blanc, 35800 Dinard, France, godet{at}mnhn.fr

Jérôme Fournier

CNRS, UMR 7208 BOREA, CRESCO, 38 rue du Port Blanc, 35800 Dinard, France

Nicolas Toupoint

Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UMR 7208 BOREA, CRESCO, 38 rue du Port Blanc, 35800 Dinard, France

Frédéric Olivier

Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UMR 7208 BOREA, CRESCO, 38 rue du Port Blanc, 35800 Dinard, France

Mapping seafloors is a fundamental step for managing and preserving coastal zones. Moreover, in a context of current global environmental changes, new methods allowing long-term monitoring are increasingly required. Various methods have been used to map seafloors, primarily benthic macrofauna and sediment sampling along regular grids or transects, and remote sensing methods. These methods map very different things, do not have the same accuracy levels, and have different costs in time and money. Furthermore, such methods often require the competencies of highly skilled scientists and exclude non-specialists otherwise best placed to perform them. In this paper, we test a method based on Direct Field Observations (‘DFO method’), which can be used by non-specialists, and assess if it is sufficient for mapping and monitoring intertidal habitats. We further compare this method with other conventional ones. The results show that such a simple method is relatively rapid and inexpensive given the results obtained. Moreover, it is particularly suitable for highly fragmented intertidal landscapes where other methods are often very limited. In consequence, in areas such as the European coasts, it can be used by non-specialists, such as protected-area managers, and because it is an inexpensive and quick method long-term monitoring is also possible.

Key Words: benthic habitats • Chausey archipelago • citizen science • direct field observation • intertidal sandflats • habitat mapping • habitat monitoring • macrofaunal sampling • remote sensing.

Progress in Physical Geography, Vol. 33, No. 3, 378-402 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0309133309342650


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