Standard Protocols

These standard protocols were established during the International Biodiversity Observation Year (IBOY) at a workshop of the Diversitas International of the Western Pacific Asia program (DIWPA).

The NaGISA site selection criteria include the relative pristineness with respect to anthropogenic stresses, availability of infrastructure for sample analysis, and the availability of baseline/historical data for the area. Each site is sampled at three intertidal and three subtidal strata.

The NaGISA protocol comprises two levels of sampling of increasing difficulty: (1) Non-destructive sampling using photography and observational techniques, percent cover estimates and counts of individual organisms. (2) Destructive sampling with cores within seagrass communities and removal of all organisms from quadrats in rocky shore macroalgal communities. The protocol also includes measurements of surface and bottom seawater temperature. A crucial part of NaGISA is the involvement of taxonomic experts for quality assurance of data.

Full Protocol is available to download here (PDF) !