Hodgson, G. (2000). Coral Reef Monitoring and Management Using Reef Check. Integrated Coastal Zone Management. 1: 169 - 179
Overview
In both developed and
developing countries,
government resources available
for coral reef monitoring
and management are rarely
sufficient for the task.
A cost-effective method
of increasing monitoring
and management resources
is to use community members
to help. Involving the
community in the process
increases public support for
government management
initiatives, increasing
compliance and reducing
law enforcement costs.
The Reef Check program
was designed to meet for
a simple, rapid monitoring
protocol that could be
used to measure the health
of coral reefs on a global
basis. Since 1997, this
standard protocol has
been used to survey over
500 reefs in 50 countries
around the world. The
survey results have documented
the global extent of overfishing
on reefs throughout tropical
oceans. Publicity from
Reef Check has raised
the profile of coral reef
issues. As density and
frequency of surveys increase,
the value of the Reef
Check as a management
tool will rise.
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