Site Hierarchy
Control Site
An unrestored reef area paired with an outplant site as a scientific baseline.
A degraded reef area paired 1:1 with an outplant site within the same Restoration Site. The control has similar starting conditions to the restoration area but is left unrestored, allowing tracking of the impact of restoration irrespective of overall environmental conditions and stress events through time.
The control site is distinct from the reference site, which represents the best possible reef state and sets diversity/cover targets. The control answers "did restoration help?" while the reference answers "what are we aiming for?"
Why paired sites matter: Without a control, it's impossible to know whether observed coral improvements are due to restoration efforts or natural environmental variation.
See also: Outplant Site, Reference Site