With waterproof paper and pencil in hand, marine biologist Andy
Dunstan swims among schools of silver trevally, bright green parrot fish
and metre-long barracuda, recording their numbers. Below him, in the
warm waters of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, fellow marine biologist,
Jos Hill, records the sea life within a section of coral reef bounded by
numbered plastic markers and lines of tape measure.
Along with hundreds of other volunteer divers, Andy and Jos are part of
the international network of "Reef Check". Established in 1996, in the
United States, Reef Check is a volunteer community program now operating
in over 60 tropical countries and territories. It trains members in a
standardised method of coral reef assessment, allowing worldwide
collection of reliable and comparable scientific data. As early as 1997,
Reef Check completed the first global scientific survey to confirm an
international crisis in the health of coral reefs.
"Where volunteer data is often regarded sceptically by scientists," says
Andy, "the training and professionalism of Reef Check's members means
that its data is respected by official research and management agencies
around the world."
Reef Check was chosen by the United Nations as the "community-based"
survey program for its Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network. Each year,
it collects information gathered by the volunteers on reef health and
possible problems like illegal or over-fishing, and pollution.
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Reef Check came to Australia in 1997 when Undersea Explorer - a combined
adventure dive and research vessel operating from Port Douglas, North
Queensland - set up a local group on the northern reaches of the Great
Barrier Reef. Since then, a further 15 members of Queensland's dive
industry have joined the program providing boats and equipment, and
enabling the study to expand to southern reef sites.
Jos became Australian coordinator in 2003 and plans to extend the
program to include the reefs of Western Australia.
"Our goals are to educate people about the coral reef crisis," she says.
"We want to create a global network of volunteer teams, that continue to
monitor and report on the conditions of reef health.
"We also want to scientifically investigate coral reef processes and
encourage collaboration among academics, non-government organisations,
governments and the private sector.
"By stimulating local community action into monitoring and protecting
the remaining pristine reefs of our world, and by rehabilitating the
damaged ones, we hope to find sustainable solutions to the crisis
happening on our reefs."
For more information visit www.reefcheck.org
Photo acknowledgement: © Undersea Explorer (www.undersea.com.au)
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