Training communities to monitor coral reefs for management

Community members do the manta tow.

(This article is excerpted from the book “Coral Reef Monitoring for Management 2^nd Edition.” First published in 2001, the first edition has been used for participatory reef monitoring in several sites and has been translated to Chinese, Thai, Cambodian and Bahasa Indonesia. Click here to download the full 2^nd edition.)

By AJ Uychiaco, SJ Green, MT dela Cruz, PA Gaite, HO Arceo, PM Aliño and AT White

eef survey systems such as ReefCheck by Hodgson (1999), methods adapted for Earthwatch volunteers and conservation projects by White et al (2000), and ReefBase’s Aquanaut system by McManus et al (1997) are available for scuba divers who wish to do their to do coral reef monitoring with the benefit of some initial scuba diving lessons. There are also other methods such as the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network system described by English et al (1997) for reef scientists who wish to achieve more detailed monitoring.

But because there are not enough volunteer scuba divers and reef scientists to monitoring all the world’s coral reefs or even Philippine reefs, simpler methods for non-scuba divers have been developed from existing methods. One method was developed in 1995-97, initially from independent efforts by Margarita dela Cruz of the non-governmental organization Guian Development Foundation and the University of the Philippines-Visayas and Stuart Green, then a British volunteer under the Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) program working in the Bohol Integrated Development Foundation.

These initial efforts evolved into a collaborative undertaking with others involved in coastal resource management, including Andre Uychiaoco, then with the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute, and others who helped coordinate field activities to test the methods that were eventually included in the first guide. Besides Dela Cruz, Green and Uychiaoco, those involved in the preparation of the guide were Hazel Arceo, Paulyn Gaite, Porfirio Aliño and Alan White, with support from various institutions, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Coastal Resource Management Project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), United Nations Development Programme Global Environment Facility-Small Grants Programme and the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies, among others.

The guide, now in its second edition, has been field-tested many times over and employed by various organizations in the Philippines and elsewhere. It describes a training course for communities, as well as a reef monitoring method that communities and local government units can use without the aid of scuba diving.

‘Learning by doing’ training methods

The training course can be taught in a week’s time but is best spread over the course of three years in order to allow the monitoring team sufficient time to practice under supervision and to allow the study area to actually change in response to management activities enough to be observed. The guide includes a suggested training plan.

If the community is being trained by external trainers, at least two visits by them should be planned for each year. The trainees, together with local development workers, are encouraged to collect data 2 to 4 times during the year (once per season).

Volunteers are rarely able to participate in a monitoring or training activity for more than 2 straight days, so it is best to spread out each season’s monitoring and training activities over a week’s time. Always, facilitators must feedback monitoring results and discuss management implications at least once per season. Monitoring team members should regularly (e.g. 2-4 times a year) present their findings to the rest of the community and their organization for validation and comments. The community should then be encouraged to discuss the possible implications of the data and plan for appropriate action. A billboard showing graphs of the results may be set up near the monitoring station and updated regularly.

Training effective reef monitors requires that the trainer helps the trainee learn accurate and effective monitoring techniques through education, practice, testing and quality checking. The guide also provides materials that trainers can use to improve the training experience, including an evaluation form for simple reef monitoring for management and an evaluation guide to help assess how well trainees have learned the monitoring methods.

The full guide can be downloaded here.

English, S., C. Wilkinson and V. Baker. 1997. Survey manual for tropical marine resources, 2nd ed. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Australia.

Hodgson, G. 1999. Reef Check. URL http://www.ReefCheck.org

McManus, J.W., M.C.A. Ablan, S.G.Vergara, B.M. Vallejo, L.A.B. Menez, K.P.K. Reyes, M.L.G. Gorospe and L. Halmarick. 1997. ReefBase Aquanaut Survey Manual. ICLARM Educ. Ser. 18, 61 p.

White, A.T., C.A. Courtney, M.C. Meyer, A. Alvarado, E. White, J. Apurado and P. Christie. 2000. Summary field report: Coral reef monitoring expedition to Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park, Sulu Sea, Philippines, May 21-30, 2000. Coastal Resource Management Project and the Sulu Fund for Marine Conservation Foundation, Inc., Cebu City, 79 p.