Glossary

Overview

Shared scientific vocabulary for coral restoration — reef biology, site hierarchy, and metrics.

A shared vocabulary covering reef biology, site hierarchy, and metrics. Each term links the scientific concept to its representation in Reef Manager and ReefApp.

Reef Biology

Core biological concepts in the restoration programme.

TermDescription
FragmentAn individual coral cutting — the atomic unit of restoration
Donor ColonyWild coral colony from which fragments are cut
TaxonCoral species (genus + species pair)
Monitoring SessionStructured survey event for health assessment

Site Hierarchy

The geographic and physical structure of restoration operations.

TermDescription
BranchGeographic operating unit (Fiji, Moorea, Thailand, Gili Air)
Restoration SiteContainer under a branch — groups nurseries, outplants, controls, and donor colonies for one programme
NurseryUnderwater grow-out facility for fragments
StructurePhysical frame within a nursery
Outplant SiteReef destination for mature fragments
Outplant CellSubdivision of an outplant site
Control SiteUnrestored degraded baseline paired with an outplant
Reference SiteBest natural reef state — sets diversity and cover targets

Metrics

Quantitative measures used to track restoration outcomes.

TermDescription
Health Score1–6 Likert scale, displayed inverted (higher % = healthier)
Bleach Score1–6 Likert scale for bleaching severity
Survival RateProportion of living fragments
Shannon DiversitySpecies and mother-colony diversity index
EVIEcological Volume Index — biomass proxy in cm³
Reef Health IndexComposite index combining structural, biodiversity, and functional dimensions — in development
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