NESP MB D5: Australian Coral and Rocky Reef Biodiversity Assessment, 2005-2020

A national assessment integrates Underwater Visual Census data from multiple sources to update the state of Australian reefs. Maps and indicator trends show changes in reef health from 2005 to 2020. The project includes population trajectories for 600-1000 reef species to inform threat status assessments.

Use Cases

• Generate maps of reef health indicators for the national State of the Environment Report based on integrated monitoring data.
• Analyze population trends for 600-1000 reef species to identify candidates for conservation listing.
• Track changes in the health of coral and rocky reefs nationally over a 15-year period.

Strengths

• Integrates data from five major monitoring programs, including Reef Life Survey and AIMS.
• Provides a 15-year time series from 2005 to 2020 for tracking trends.
• Includes population trajectories for 600-1000 individual reef species.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Raw data access requires signing a data use agreement with AIMS.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, aggregating data from Reef Life Survey, University of Tasmania, AIMS, Parks Victoria, and SA DEWNR.

Collection Method

Integration of Underwater Visual Census monitoring datasets.

Time Range

2005 to 2020

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 16:55:47.801011; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australian coral and rocky reefs nationally.