Abstract
Managing to support coral reef resilience as the climate changes requires strategic and responsive actions that reduce anthropogenic stress. Managers can only target and tailor these actions if they regularly receive information on system condition and impact severity. In large coral reef areas like the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP), acquiring condition and impact data with good spatial and temporal coverage requires using a large network of observers. Here, we describe the result of ~10 years of evolving and refining participatory monitoring programs used in the GBR that have rangers, tourism operators and members of the public as observers. Participants complete Reef Health and Impact Surveys (RHIS) using a protocol that meets coral reef managers’ needs for up-to-date information on the following: benthic community composition, reef condition and impacts including coral diseases, damage, predation and the presence of rubbish. Training programs ensure that the information gathered is sufficiently precise to inform management decisions. Participants regularly report because the demands of the survey methodology have been matched to their time availability. Undertaking the RHIS protocol we describe involves three ~20 min surveys at each site. Participants enter data into an online data management system that can create reports for managers and participants within minutes of data being submitted. Since 2009, 211 participants have completed a total of more than 10,415 surveys at more than 625 different reefs. The two-way exchange of information between managers and participants increases the capacity to manage reefs adaptively, meets education and outreach objectives and can increase stewardship. The general approach used and the survey methodology are both sufficiently adaptable to be used in all reef regions.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beeden, R., Willis, B. L., Raymundo, L. J., et al. (2009). Underwater cards for assessing coral health on Indo-Pacific reefs. Melbourne: Coral Reef Targeted Research and Capacity Building for Management Program. Currie Communications. 22.
Beeden, R., Maynard, J. A., Marshall, P. A., et al. (2012). A framework for responding to coral disease outbreaks that facilitates adaptive management. Environmental Management, 49(1), 1–13.
Beeden, R., Maynard, J., Johnson, J., et al. (2014). No-anchoring areas reduce coral damage in an effort to build resilience in Keppel Bay, southern Great Barrier Reef. Australian Journal of Environmental Management. doi:10.1080/14486563.2014.881307.
Bellwood, D. R., Hughes, T. P., Folke, C., & Nyström, M. (2004). Confronting the coral reef crisis. Nature, 429, 827–833.
Bruno, J. F., & Selig, E. R. (2007). Regional decline of coral cover in the indo-pacific: timing, extent, and subregional comparisons. PLoS ONE, 8, 1–8.
Conrad, C. C., & Hilchey, K. G. (2011). A review of citizen science and community-based environmental monitoring: Issues and opportunities. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 176(1–4), 273–291.
Danielsen, F., Burgess, N. D., & Balmford, A. (2005). Monitoring matters: examining the potential of locally-based approaches. Biodiversity and Conservation, 14(11), 2507–2542.
Danielsen, F., Burgess, N. D., Balmford, A., et al. (2009). Local participation in natural resource monitoring: a characterization of approaches. Conservation Biology, 23(1), 31–42.
Danielsen, F., Burgess, N. D., Jensen, P. M., & Pirhofer-Walzl, K. (2010). Environmental monitoring: the scale and speed of implementation varies according to the degree of peoples involvement. Journal of Applied Ecology, 47, 1166–1168.
Day, J. (2008). The need and practice of monitoring, evaluating and adapting marine planning and management—lessons from the Great Barrier Reef. Marine Policy, 32(5), 823–831.
Diaz, M., & Madin, J. (2011). Macroecological relationships between coral species’ traits and disease potential. Coral Reefs, 30(1), 73–84.
Dinsdale, E. A., & Harriott, V. (2004). Assessing anchor damage on coral reefs: a case study in selection of environmental indicators. Environmental Management, 33(1), 126–139.
Done, T. J. (1999). Coral community adaptability to environmental change at the scales of regions, reefs and reef zones. American Zoologist, 39, 66–79.
Done, T. J., & Reichelt, R. E. (1998). Integrated coastal zone and fisheries ecosystem management: generic goals and performance indices. Ecological Applications, 8(1 (Supplement)), S110–S118.
English, S., Wilkinson, C., & Baker, V. (1997). Survey manual for tropical marine resources 2nd edition (p. 390). Townsville, Australia: Australian Institute of Marine Science.
Fabricius, K. E., De’ath, G., Puotinen, M. L., et al. (2008). Disturbance gradients on inshore and offshore coral reefs caused by a severe tropical cyclone. Limnology and Oceanography, 53(2), 690–704.
GBRMPA. (2004). Great Barrier Reef Marine Park zoning plan 2003. Townsville, Australia: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
GBRMPA. (2011). Impacts of tropical cyclone Yasi on the Great Barrier Reef. Townsville, Australia: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
Graham, N. A. J., Nash, K. L., & Kool, J. T. (2011). Coral reef recovery dynamics in a changing world. Coral Reefs, 30, 283–294.
Harvell, C. D., Jordan-Dahlgren, E., Merkel, S., et al. (2007). Coral disease, environmental drivers and the balance between coral and microbial associates. Oceanography, 20(1), 36–59.
Hay, M. E. (1997). The ecology and evolution of seaweed-herbivore interactions on coral reefs. Coral Reefs, 16(1), S67–S76.
Hobbs, N. T. (2003). Challenges and opportunities in integrating ecological knowledge across scales. Forest Ecology and Management, 181(1–2), 223–238.
Hodgson, G. (2001). Reef check: the first step in community-based management. Bulletin of Marine Science, 69, 861–868.
Hoegh-Guldberg, O. (2011). Coral reef ecosystems and anthropogenic climate change. Regional Environmental Change, 11(1), S215–S227.
Hoegh-Guldberg, O., Mumby, P. J., Hooten, A. J., et al. (2007). Coral reefs under rapid climate change and ocean acidification. Science, 318, 1737–1742.
Hughes, T. P., & Connell, J. H. (1999). Multiple stressors on coral reefs: a long-term perspective. Limnology and Oceanography, 44, 932–940.
Hughes, T. P., Baird, A. H., Bellwood, D. R., et al. (2003). Climate change, human impacts, and the resilience of coral reefs. Science, 301, 929–933.
Madin, J. S. (2005). Mechanical limitations of reef corals during hydrodynamic disturbances. Coral Reefs, 24(4), 630–635.
Malcolm, H. (1998). Immediate benefits of establishing a ‘no-anchoring area’: a case study at two popular anchorages in the whitsundays (p. 28). Brisbane, Australia: Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage.
Marshall, P. A. (2000). Skeletal damage in reef corals: relating resistance to colony morphology. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 200, 177–189.
Marshall, P. A., & Baird, A. H. (2000). Bleaching of corals on the Great Barrier Reef: differential susceptibilities among taxa. Coral Reefs, 19(2), 155–163.
Maynard, J. A., Turner, P. J., Anthony, K. R. N., et al. (2008). ReefTemp: an interactive monitoring system for coral bleaching using high-resolution SST and improved stress predictors. Geophysical Research Letters, 35, 1–5.
Maynard, J. A., Johnson, J. E., Marshall, P. A., et al. (2009). A strategic framework for responding to coral bleaching events in a changing climate. Environmental Management, 44(1), 1–11.
Maynard, J. A., Marshall, P. A., Johnson, J. E., & Harman, S. (2010). Building resilience into practical conservation: identifying local management responses to global climate change in the southern Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs, 29, 381–391.
McClanahan, T. R., Donner, S. D., Maynard, J. A., et al. (2012). Prioritizing key resilience indicators to support coral reef management in a changing climate. PLoS ONE, 7(8), e42884.
McCook, L. J., Ayling, T., Cappo, M., et al. (2010). Adaptive management of the Great Barrier Reef: a globally significant demonstration of the benefits of networks of marine reserves. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107(43), 18278–18285.
McCulloch, M., Fallon, S., Wyndham, T., et al. (2003). Coral record of increased sediment flux to the inner great barrier reef since European settlement. Nature, 421, 727–730.
Phinn, S., Dekker, A., Brando, V., & Roelfsema, C. M. (2005). Mapping water quality and substrate cover in optically complex coastal and reef waters: an integrated approach. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 51(1–4), 459–469.
Savan, B., Morgan, A. J., & Gore, C. (2003). Volunteer environmental monitoring and the role of the universities: the case of citizens’ environment watch. Environmental Management, 31(5), 0561–0568.
Sweatman, H. (2008). No-take reserves protect coral reefs from predatory starfish. Current Biology, 18(14), R598–R599.
Uychiaoco, A. J., Arceo, H. O., Green, S. J., et al. (2005). Monitoring and evaluation of reef protected areas by local fishers in the Philippines: tightening the adaptive management cycle. Biodiversity and Conservation, 14(11), 2775–2794.
Weeks, S., Werdell, P., Schaffelke, B., et al. (2012). Satellite-Derived Photic Depth on the Great Barrier Reef: Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Water Clarity. Remote Sensing, 4, 3781–3795. doi:10.3390/rs4123781.
Wilkinson, C. (Ed.). (2000). Status of coral reefs of the world: 2000. Townsville, Australia: Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network and Australian Institute of Marine Science.
Wilkinson, C., Lindén, O., Cesar, H., et al. (1999). Ecological and socio-economic impacts of the 1998 coral mortality in the indian ocean: An ENSO impact and a warning of future change? Ambio, 28(2), 188–196.
Willis, B. L., Page, C. A., & Dinsdale, E. A. (2004). Coral disease and the Great Barrier Reef. In E. Rosenberg & Y. Loya (Eds.), Coral health and disease (pp. 69–104). Heidelberg: Springer.
Acknowledgments
Funding for the development of the RHIS protocol and integrated Eye on the Reef program database and training tools was provided under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Climate Change Action Plan in partnership with the Queensland Department of National Parks Sport and Racing and Great Barrier Reef Field Management Program. The authors would like to acknowledge that this work has its foundations in the timed-swim-based joint GBRMPA/QPWS Rapid Assessment Monitoring Protocol (RAMP), the joint GBRMPA and Tourism Industry weekly Eye on the Reef survey and the GBRMPA-led Bleach Watch program. Beyond the team of authors, we would like to specifically thank Richard Quincey from the Great Barrier Reef Field Management Program; Sascha Taylor, Chris Maple and John Olds from the Queensland Department of National Parks Sport and Racing; Chris Briggs and Chris Jones from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Tourism Section; and former GBRMPA staff members Peter McGinnity, Andrew Chin, Jo Johnson, Dean Miller and Robin Aeillo. We would also like to thank all of the participating Queensland Department of National Parks Sport and Racing rangers, GBRMPA and tourism industry staff who have completed RHIS surveys.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
ESM 1
(DOCX 10485 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Beeden, R.J., Turner, M.A., Dryden, J. et al. Rapid survey protocol that provides dynamic information on reef condition to managers of the Great Barrier Reef. Environ Monit Assess 186, 8527–8540 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-014-4022-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-014-4022-0