Reef Check Teams in Action Spotlight on Reef Check Site – Reef Check Headquarters Reef Check Champion – Andre Montenegro Methods Check – New Site Description Sheets Other Reef Check News |
Reef Check Teams in Action |
CURACAO RC Curacao led by Paul Hoetjes, senior scientist of the Netherlands Antilles Coral Reef Initiative (NACRI) and the Ministry of Health and Social Development in the Department of Environment and Nature (MINA). In 1999, after the devastating effects of Hurricane Lenny, Plantage PortoMari began monitoring the progress of their reefs post-impact to help evaluate the reefs recovery to aid and track recovery. Over the past four years, three permanent transect lines have been established. In 2002 RC Curacao conducted four surveys and two monitoring periods are planned in January and July 2003. Special thanks to Renneke, Randy, Peter, Ardy and Marjo. For more information about Team Curacao's activities, contact Marjo. MOZAMBIQUE R?UNION AND EUROPA |
Spotlight on Reef Check Site- Reef Check Headquarters |
To start off 2003, we thought that it would be a great to introduce all of us here at RC Headquarters in Los Angeles!
Greg earned a Ph.D in zoology in 1989 from the University of Hawaii where he completed the first ?ridges to reefs? ecological-economics study on the effects of logging on coral reef-related tourism and fisheries in El Nido, Palawan, Philippines. Subsequently, Greg worked in Hong Kong where he served as the Environmental Sciences Manager for Binnie Black & Veatch, carrying out environmental impact assessments and baseline ecological surveys of coastal and marine areas. He designed and led Integrated Coastal Management projects in China and Vietnam and also taught at two Hong Kong universities. Greg is now a visiting professor at the UCLA's Institute of the Environment (IoE) and Associate Director of the IoE's Coastal Center.
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Trainings, Workshops, and Meetings |
ITMEMS-2, PHILIPPINES March 24 to 27, 2003, the 2nd International Tropical Marine Ecosystem- Management Symposium (ITMEMS-2) will be held in Manila. This will be a great meeting where scientists and managers exchange the latest on coral reef conservation. Calling all Coordinators and future Coordinators: There will be a Reef Check meeting on Tuesday night March 25th 5:30 ? 7:00 pm. Come meet your fellow coordinators. For more information on ITMEMS, visit the website. See below for post-ITMEMS Workshops. Three post-ITMEMS workshops are offered: RC/GCRMN Workshop on Coral Reef Monitoring This will be a standard training package but with some great dive sites to survey! For more info click on the heading. Marine Aquarium Trade Coral Reef Monitoring Protocol Workshop This is one of the first training sessions for MAQTRAC open to the public following two years of design and testing. For experienced biologists who want to sharpen their taxonomy. Led by Dr. Domingo Ochavillo ? RC fisheries scientist. Socioeconomic Training Workshop The inaugural training for SOCMON ? the rapid assessment form of the GCRMN socioeconomic manual written by Leah Bunce et al. Training led by Dr. Susan Siar of SEAFDEC. MYANMAR (BURMA) TRIP WORLD WATER DAY RC TRAINING AND ACTIVITIES IN HAWAI'I |
Reef Check Champion |
This month we are highlighting Andre Montenegro, as told by two students of RC Philippines. If you know a Reef Check Champion that you would like to be nominated, please email a brief description of their contribution as well as a photo (if possible) to Kelly.
One Dive Only
When RC Philippines began in 1998, Snoopy was invited by RC Philippines coordinator Dr. Laurie Raymundo to take part in the activities. Snoopy eagerly agreed to help RC's environmental cause. Since that first experience, he has consistently volunteered for the RCs conducted by Dr. Raymundo. Snoopy not only lends his time and his own team of dive guides to RC, but also lends his tanks, gear and motorized boat, especially when the funds are low. In addition to his work with RC, Snoopy also organizes coastal and underwater cleanups for local communities through PADI. Snoopy, together with his wife Percy, a rescue diver and co-manager of White Tip Divers, are striving to spread awareness about the plight of the Philippine coral reefs to both their local and foreign recreational divers. Snoopy believes that even just one or two people can still make a difference for conservation efforts. ?We only have one chance to truly experience the beauty of things and that very moment is when we are living. Life for the enthusiastic diver is one spectacular dive. We shouldn?t deprive future generations of their right to experience the magnificence of our reefs.? We are grateful to this committed dive instructor for his support and hard work in our annual surveys. |
Methods Check |
NEW DATA SHEETS FOR 2003! The new 2003 Training and Protocol Update is now available from headquarters and will be distributed to all coordinators in early February. We have worked really hard to create more ?user-friendly? versions of our RC training materials and hope you like the update. There are some great new changes this year, including the addition of one new Caribbean invertebrate indicator, a re-designed Site Description Sheet, and a change in one of the substrate categories from ?Fleshy Seaweed? to ?Nutrient Indicator Algae?. Due to the number of changes, we ask all RC teams to carefully read over and review all training materials. We also ask that all teams change over to the new forms by March 1, 2003 when submitting data. If you have any questions on the changes or are not a coordinator and would like a copy, please email Headquarters. |
Other Reef Check News |
RC FEATURED IN NEW IMAX? THEATER MOVIE CORAL REEF ADVENTURE UPDATE ON TEAM EGYPT MAQTRAC UPDATES BIOLOGY SENIORS GET INVOLVED! Many of Silliman?s Biology graduates go on to jobs with government environment offices or NGOs, where they are expected to conduct monitoring as a regular part of their responsibilities. This training gave them something solid to take with them, something that will hopefully increase their capability and employability. Several students from this year have already offered to help with next year?s class during their survey. The success of this first attempt has ensured that the ?Reef Check Laboratory? will become a regular feature of the Coral Reef Ecology class. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN THE WORLD: 2002 GET YOUR 2002 DATA IN! RC FEATURED IN COASTAL LIVING MAGAZINE WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOUR TEAM IS UP TO!! |
Coral Reefs in the News |
GIANT SHARKS WIN UN PROTECTION CORAL REEF LAWS PAPER OTHER NEWSLETTERS |
The global coral reef education, monitoring and management program. |
The Reef Check Foundation |