Background

1
Background

• Operations in over 80 of 101 coral reef countries
• Full-service non-profit with two primary
  programs tourism and fisheries.
• In 2006, Reef Check developed a new temperate
  monitoring program for rocky reefs in California
  and Mexico

2
Tourism Program

• In 2005, Reef Check start of a certification
  program for qualified divers and dive centres.
• The new EcoAction program now involves multiple
  levels (age and skills related).
• Developed as a business model approach to
  financially sustain local conservation efforts. A
  way of inserting conservation tools in the
  established tourism industry
• A Reef Check Plus Course has been designed and
  will be implemented in 2007

3
Outreach Program

• Reef Check continues to work with celebrities to
  bring coral reef education to the general public
  and reach out to people who have the potential to
  address millions of people.

4
Fisheries Program

• Collaboration with the Marine Aquarium Council
  and Community Conservation Investment Forum to
  implement a certification program for the marine
  aquarium trade
• MAQTRAC monitoring protocol to assess baseline
  condition of fish and invertebrate stocks

5
Monitoring

• The Reef Check Monitoring Program, the
  community-based arm of GCRMN continues to grow
  with over 500 reefs now monitored annually
• Web-based database (WRAS) developed with World
  Fish Center/ReefBase allows any user the ability
  to view, analyze and chart data
• Reef Check has assisted teams in tsunami affected
  countries to carry out impact surveys (e.g. Aceh)
• in collaboration with NOAA, carried out a survey
  of bleaching in 16 countries in the Caribbean
  using volunteer teams this past year, results
  presented at a special meeting at ITMEMS

6
International Year of the Reef

• We would like to thank the ICRI secretariat and
  NOAA for supporting our proposal for the
  International Year of the Reef in 2008, which
  will hopefully be endorsed by the ICRI General
  Meeting.