*2.1. Study Site*

The study site is located on the north shore of Moorea Island (17◦32 S, 149◦50 W) in French Polynesia (Figure 1). Moorea is a 1.6 million-year-old volcanic island which at its highest point reaches 1207 m and extends over 187 km2, divided into 134 km2 and 53 km<sup>2</sup> of land and sea areas, respectively. While being in the vicinity of Tahiti, the capital of French Polynesia, Moorea, is considered as a life-size laboratory, given its large array of land-sea spatial patterns and multi-scale socio-ecological processes [25]. The spatial features include rain and dry forests, volcanic and laterite soils, coconut and banana crops, urban infrastructures, coralligeneous sand, reef pavement, fringing and barrier reefs. The territory is changing rapidly due to the doubling of the local population in 40 years [26], the conversion of forest to pineapple crops and the urban growth. The lagoon hosts traditional fishing activities and is experiencing an increase in tourism activities. The test area, extending over 1.61 km2, is composed of a complex land-sea coral reefscape, selected to embrace all the previously mentioned components.
