Reef Check is the most widely used coral reef monitoring protocol. The techniques are simple to learn and the data are scientifically robust. The Reef Check monitoring protocol has been used to conduct surveys in over 90 coral reef countries and territories, and is continuing to grow on an annual basis. The protocols were designed and tested by world renowned coral reef scientists in a peer-reviewed manner, and focus specifically on how coral reefs are affected by human impacts. Reef Check has focused on the abundance of particular coral reef organisms that best reflect the condition of the ecosystem and that are easily recognizable to the general public. Selection of these “indicator” organisms was based on their economic and ecological value, their sensitivity to human impacts and ease of identification. Sixteen global and eight regional indicator organisms serve as specific measures of human impacts on coral reefs. These indicators include a broad spectrum of fish, invertebrates and plants that reflect human activities such as fishing, collection or pollution.
This easy to learn but scientifically robust sampling method is providing data on the condition of reef environments throughout the world and has been adopted as the standard monitoring protocol by marine park managers, national governments, scientific institutions as well as many volunteer teams. The methods have proven to be an effective learning tool for people wishing to gain more knowledge about coral reefs and the marine environment. They are also fun to do, attracting recreational divers wanting to experience coral reefs in new ways, as well as scientific divers wanting to improve their knowledge of taxonomy and ecology. No matter what the reasons are that have brought you to Reef Check, we are confident you will enjoy your experience.
To find out more about our Monitoring Program see below!
Indicators
Data Sheets
Instruction Manual
What does a Reef Check monitoring survey involve?
The Reef Check monitoring protocol incorporates four types of data:
- A description of each reef site based on more than 30 measures of environmental and socio-economic conditions and ratings of human impacts
- A measure of the percentage of the seabed covered by different substrate types, including live and dead coral, along four 20 meter sections of a 100 meter shallow reef transect
- Invertebrate counts over four, 20 meter by 5 meter belts along the transect
- Fish counts, up to 5 meters above the same invertebrate belt
Monitoring of the indicators is conducted along two depth contours.
History of the Reef Check Monitoring Protocol
Scientists have been monitoring coral reefs since the time of Darwin in the 1850s. But the introduction of scuba diving in the 1960s allowed scientists a new view of reefs that was documented and brought into the public domain by natural historians such as Jacques Cousteau. During the 1980s, many divers and scientists began to witness a decline in coral reef health at their favorite reefs, particularly at well-studied reefs such as those in Jamaica. While accepting that certain reefs had been degraded, some scientists questioned the geographic extent of this issue. The 1993 Colloquium on Global Aspects of Coral Reefs was a turning point for many reef scientists who met to discuss the health of the world’s reefs. Some scientists felt that most coral reefs were in serious trouble, while others thought that only a few reefs were experiencing a temporary downturn in health. At the end of the meeting, it was clear that there was not enough information available to form a picture of the status of coral reefs on a global scale because an organized attempt to gather data had not yet occurred.
One group of coral reef scientists felt that part of the problem lay with the ecological monitoring methods scientists have used. These detailed methods were designed to investigate community ecology and included measurements of many parameters that may not be affected when coral reef health is damaged. The scientists felt that more specific methods should be designed to investigate human impacts on coral reefs, because those are the impacts that are preventable.
It was recognized that another problem with the conventional approach to coral reef assessment and monitoring was that there are only a small number of reef scientists, most of whom are only able to carry out a few surveys at a few locations using different methods. Thus the data were not easily comparable. The solution was to organize a global survey effort that would take place annually using one standard survey method, which would provide a synoptic view of the health of the world’s reefs. To make this survey cost-effective, the effort would depend on volunteer help from non-scientists. To help focus attention on coral reefs, a group of coral reef scientists led by Dr. Robert Ginsburg, a coral reef geologist, declared 1997 to be the International Year of the Reef. As part of the initiative, Dr. Ginsburg asked Dr. Gregor Hodgson, a coral reef ecologist, to design a global monitoring protocol. Dr. Hodgson drafted and tested the Reef Check protocol, which was subsequently circulated on the internet and peer-reviewed by many reef scientists.
In 1997, scientists were invited to volunteer as Reef Check Trainers and the first-ever global survey of coral reef health was carried out in 31 countries in all tropical areas. The results provided scientific confirmation that coral reefs were facing a major crisis on a global scale. In the 1980s, many scientists thought that the major threats to coral reefs were primarily pollution and sedimentation. The Reef Check results demonstrated for the first time that overfishing was a major threat to coral reefs throughout the world. Since then, hundreds of Reef Check teams have been monitoring reefs every year and the number of participating countries is more than 90 out of the 101 with coral reefs.
To see publications generated from Reef Check monitoring data, click here.
How to form a Reef Check team:
Check our Teams page to see if there are existing Reef Check teams in your area. If there is not, please contact rcinfo@reefcheck.org to find out how to create a new Reef Check team and begin collecting valuable coral reef monitoring data! |