# Decision support tools for visualising coral reef futures at regional scales

Melbourne-Thomas, J 2010 , 'Decision support tools for visualising coral reef futures at regional scales', PhD thesis, University of Tasmania.

Coral reefs provide essential ecosystem services that support the livelihoods of millions of people in coastal populations around the globe. However, human activities have severely degraded a large number of reefs worldwide, and reef ecosystem function is under continuing threat from anthropogenic impacts. Novel management approaches are required to sustain ecosystem function and there is a need for better scientic tools to inform coordinated management strategies for coral reefs over appropriate spatial and temporal scales. Simulation models are useful tools for projecting future responses of reef systems to multiple threats and can assist in evaluating the eectiveness of alternative management actions. This thesis presents a generic model framework that can be applied to tropical coral reef systems anywhere in the world. The model, CORSET (Coral Reef Scenario Evaluation Tool) uses dynamic equations to capture local-scale ecological processes on individual reefs. These reefs are connected at regional scales through ocean transport of larval propagules. CORSET is designed as a decision support tool for visualising reef futures over several decades at regional scales in the order of 10$$^2$$ - 10$$^3$$ km.