Asian Diver – March 2018

FEATURE CORAL SOS

Today, there are approximately

82 Reef Check offices around the

world, boasting a strong presence

in Asia-Pacific such as the Philippines,

Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore,

Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and

Australia. All Reef Check offices

have three common goals: conducting

surveys, raising awareness about reef

issues and reducing the impact of

human activities.

Since the first Reef Check coral

reef monitoring survey in 1997, almost

10,000 surveys have been completed

by Reef Check EcoDivers in over 95

countries and territories. The survey

is a 100-metre underwater expedition

that counts the number of various

indicator species. A single survey

can provide a snapshot of the current

reef health, while ongoing monitoring

is required to track changes and

determine if intervention is needed.

In Malaysia, the team has gathered

10 years of monitoring data for some

reefs, allowing them to intervene with

the relevant management agency and

work with them to resolve problems.

For example, if the number of

crown-of-thorns starfish increases,

this will be detected through

monitoring and local authorities

can then take steps to manage

the numbers. Often, a couple of

indicators work together to highlight

a problem: If the number of parrotfish

declines, and the amount of nutrient

indicator algae increases, there

is an imbalance that needs to be

addressed. This would be investigated

and the necessary steps taken

to address the imbalance.

ABOVE : Divers counting the number of indicator species during a survey

IMAGE: Reef Check Foundation

RIGHT : A healthy tropical coral reef hosting tabletop and staghorn corals

IMAGE: Shutterstock

By: Reef Check Foundation

Monitoring the Reefs

http://www.reefcheck.org