ReefKeeper International's
Coral Reef Monitoring Program
What is coral reef monitoring?
What are ReefKeeper's survey methods?
How do cooperative agreements help make locally-controlled action happen?
What can divers, groups, and dive operators do to help?
Who is involved thus far with ReefKeeper's Monitoring Program?
What does Coral Reef Monitoringlook like for the future?
Coral Reef Monitoring Cooperative AgreementCoral Reef Monitoring Information Request / Participation Form
Reef Monitor Affiliates & Sites
If you don't monitor the oil level in your car's
engine, sooner or later you're going to be out of oil and out of an engine.
This analogy strongly applies to coral reefs, and that's why ReefKeeper
International emphasizes coral reef monitoring. There's really no other
way to catch problems before they become catastrophic, or even better yet,
before they begin, than by having the data to make a case against a reef-threatening
coastal development.
The concept of global coral reef monitoring has been discussed for many
years. The overall objective is to gather high-quality and widely distributed
data on reef status and to determine long-term trends resulting from global
climate change and anthropogenic stress, to assist effective management
and conservation, and to determine the potential of reefs and reef organisms
as early warning indicators of global change.
Coral reefs around the world are threatened by over-fishing, coastal development,
sewage, runoff from agriculture and logging, and many other causes.
To identify site-specific causes for this degradation and develop solutions,
scientists and volunteers from the worldwide diving community are aiding
in diagnosing the condition of representative reefs throughout the tropical
seas.
What is Coral Reef Monitoring?
Reef monitoring is the gathering of data to document basic coral reef cover and watchdog specific significant coral reef sites for changes in coral health, coral cover, and other key early warning signs of environmental impact. To be effective, this monitoring needs to be performed at periodic intervals at each monitored site.
Coral reef monitoring information can make possible
efficient management and long-term conservation.
What are ReefKeeper's Survey Methods?
ReefKeeper's Reef Monitoring Program documents
basic reef coral cover and watchdogs specific significant coral reef sites
for changes in coral health, coral cover, and other key early warning signs
of environmental impact. The gathered data is analyzed and published as
reports and other public awareness tools for use by local groups in their
conservation efforts.
ReefKeeper's reef monitoring model includes replicate (2) 50-meter point-intercept
line transects for 3 reef zones designated as the inshore zone (three meters
depth), the terrace zone (seven meters depth), and the shelf-edge zone (ten
meters depth).
At each reef zone studied, 2 separate 50-meter transects are laid using
factory-marked fiberglass transect tape that follows the designated depth
contour for the reef zone site.
Point-intercept bottom cover surveys are conducted along each transect,
with bottom type data being noted at half-meter intervals along the full
50 meters of the transect, thus producing 100 bottom cover data points for
each transect. In addition, all stony coral species found along the full
continuous length of each transect are noted.
A photo record of each transect is made with photos taken every 4 meters.
A continuous video record of each transect is also made.
This monitoring procedure is repeated every 3 months at each monitored site.
How
do Cooperative Agreements Help Make
Locally-Controlled Action Happen?
If local groups and citizens don't take ownership
of their nearby coral reefs, sooner or later those reefs are invariably
left open to environmental abuse. That's one reason why the monitoring program
emphasizes the building of capacity for coral reef conservation.
ReefKeeper International has found that follow-up and ongoing action is
required to maintain the momentum over time which is needed to achieve desired
coral reef protection objectives. The cost-effective and empowering solution
to this need for an ongoing effort is to find a way for local people to
take over and follow through on what ReefKeeper begins. The vehicle to achieve
that is the Coral Reef Monitoring Cooperative
Agreement.
Under this Agreement, ReefKeeper provides a local nonprofit conservation
group with training, monitoring equipment, materials, and supplies that
are replenished as each monitoring cycle is completed, data analysis support,
and publication assistance. The local group provides on-site coordination,
trained volunteer manpower, and donated boat use to carry out quarterly
coral reef monitoring surveys. These reef monitors document basic reef coral
cover and watchdog specific significant coral reef sites for changes in
coral health, coral cover, and other key early warning signs of environmental
impact. The gathered data is sent to ReefKeeper, where we analyze it and
produce reports and other public awareness tools for use by the local group
in its conservation efforts.
Most significantly, these monitoring activities act as a deterrent, serve
as a catalyst for other local conservation action, and focus attention on
the value of these reef sites.
What
can Divers, Groups,
and Dive Operators do to help?
In order for ReefKeeper's
Monitoring Program to be successful, three things
are needed to be able to monitor each prospective site: 1) interested divers
to be trained by ReefKeeper International to perform the monitoring; 2)
donated boat use to get the monitors to these sites; and 3) a local group
to sponsor and coordinate the endeavor as a ReefKeeper Monitor Affiliate.
Without these three elements, the reef monitoring would not be possible.
ReefKeeper is always looking for individuals with a concern for coral reefs
who are interested in donating their time and resources to assist in these
efforts.
Interested groups can fill out the coral
reef monitoring information request / participation form
to become involved or receive additional information.
Who
is Involved Thus Far
with ReefKeeper's Monitoring Program?
ReefKeeper has entered into coral reef monitoring
cooperative agreements with several local non-governmental organizations
(ngo's). With ReefKeeper's logistical and organizational assistance, these
groups are following up our initial assessments with quarterly monitoring
that will be the foundation of their concerted conservation efforts.
Groups and organizations are encouraged to become part of this effort in
existing monitor locations or other at-risk coral reef sites.
For a complete listing of currently involved groups and organizations, see
Reef Monitoring Sites and Partners.
What
Does ReefKeeper's Coral Reef
Monitoring Look Like for the Future?
ReefKeeper International will continue to support our existing coral reef monitoring partners, and enter into similar agreements with more local groups in Florida, Honduras, the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, México, Costa Rica, the Netherlands Antilles, and other locations, to monitor key coral reef sites which are clearly in the path of foreseeable developmental impact.
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