The network

The Polynesia Mana network spans over 5 insular states of the South Pacific and 10 islands of French Polynesia.

• Christmas (Kiribati)
• Mangareva
• Mangareva FR
• Marutea sud
• Moorea
• Nengo Nengo
• Nuku Hiva
• Pitcairn (GB)
• Raiatea
• Rarotonga (Cook)
• Tahiti
• Takapoto
• Tetiaroa
• Tikehau
• Tongatapu (Tonga)
• Tubuai
• Upolu (Samoa)

The Polynesia Mana surveys focus on outer slopes, homogeneous zones that provides data that can be compared over the years between islands and within some islands. Main targets are coral (hermatypic scleractinians that build the reefs) and fish populations.

Each island is surveyed at least once every second year. When major environmental events occur, additional surveys can be launched in order to establish its immediate and then long-term consequences on the reefs.

Sites terminology

A "site" is a geographical region of the island where the surveys of the coral reefs of the outer slope are made (depth between 8 and 12m). The sites positions and their stations are recorded throughout land-marks and noticeable alignments above the sites and also with a GPS.