New Scales to Guide the Assessment of Hard Coral Cover and Diversity in the Philippines
Wilfredo Y. Licuanan1,2
Key Points
Coral reefs supply vital ecosystem services to the Philippines.
Safeguarding these services requires the rapid identification of reefs that provide most services, and identification is best made by measuring hard coral cover and diversity and using updated and locally relevant assessment scales on these measurements.
The use of these assessment scales has advantages and is recommended to update and improve Philippine laws.
1Br. Alfred Shields FSC Ocean Research Center, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue, Manila 1004, Philippines 2Biology Department, College of Science, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue, Manila 1004, Philippine
