UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Division of Environmental Conventions
Emily Corcoran
c/o UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
http://corals.unep.org
Monitoring of coral
reefs and potential for
application of SUMARE
Bora Bora
Truchet /UNEP /Still Pictures tools
UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Division of Environmental Conventions
c/o UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
http://corals.unep.org
UNEP Coral Reef Unit (CRU)
Established December 2000 within UNEP to help lead
international efforts to save the world's threatened
coral reefs
Provides policy link between UNEP-WCMC, ICRI &
operational networks
Re-located May 2003 to the UNEP-World Conservation
Monitoring Centre (WCMC), Cambridge / UK
Works alongside UNEP-WCMC's Marine and Coastal
Programme, the ICRAN Co-ordination Unit and the ICRI
Secretariat
UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Division of Environmental Conventions
c/o UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
http://corals.unep.org
Work of UNEP-CRU
• 1.5 person team, headed by Dr Stefan Hain
• International coral reef policy support to on the
ground needs
• Remit stipulated by UNEP GC
• Reaches out to other agencies and MEAs
• Supports a range of coral reef activities (tropical
and deep/cold water)
• Partner and funder of GCRMN
UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Division of Environmental Conventions
c/o UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
http://corals.unep.org
Tropical Coral Reef Facts (i)
Coral reefs cover 284,000km2
world wide
0-50m deep
More than one million species
(=25%) of marine life and
biodiversity depend on coral
reefs and associated shallow
water ecosystems
UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Division of Environmental Conventions
c/o UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
http://corals.unep.org
Tropical Coral Reef Facts (ii)
Livelihood of one billion people depends on coral reefs.
Coral reefs account for 25%
of the global fish catch.
Physical existence, social, economic
and even political stability of many
small countries and island states is
intrinsically linked to coral reefs
Coral reefs provide each year about
US$30 billion in net benefits to world economies.
UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Division of Environmental Conventions
c/o UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
http://corals.unep.org
Monitoring Coral Reefs
Why - major objectives for current monitoring
What - are the different aspects of the coral reef
ecosystem that we need to look at?
How – the methods currently available
UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Division of Environmental Conventions
c/o UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
http://corals.unep.org
Why
Objectives for monitoring reefs
• Provide statistically rigorous information for
science and management
• To look at spatial and temporal patterns in
coral reef habitats
• Specific objectives depends on who the
information is for
– Resource users
– Reef managers
– Scientists
– International policy makers
UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Division of Environmental Conventions
c/o UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
http://corals.unep.org
What needs monitoring?
• Distribution of coral
• Patterns Biodiversity
• Reef and ecosystem condition
• Seasonality
• Threats
Monitored over time and space
UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Division of Environmental Conventions
c/o UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
http://corals.unep.org
Above water
(remote) Aerial Satellite
photography
On the Boats
water
Diver
operated
Autonomous
Below water
under water
vehicles
UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Division of Environmental Conventions
c/o UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
http://corals.unep.org
Considerations for Method
Selection
• Resolution
• Replicability
• Reliability
• Site location and characteristics
• Available time / resources / capacity
(human, financial, institutional)
• Effort Vs Accuracy
UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Division of Environmental Conventions
c/o UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
http://corals.unep.org
Costs
from CRAMP Hawaii (Brown et al. 1999)
• Digital video transect* set up $5,400
• 6 divers for 10 transects at 2 depths – from
$2100-4300 per day*
• Quadrat surveys $0.01/ data point after 100
surveys
• Photo quadrat* $0.21/ data point after 100
surveys
UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Division of Environmental Conventions
c/o UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
http://corals.unep.org
Potential applications for SUMARE
• Medium scale monitoring
• Conditions/depths not suitable for divers
• Sea bed mapping
• Surveying cold/deepwater reefs?
• Distinguishing between live/dead coral?
• Questions
UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Division of Environmental Conventions
c/o UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
http://corals.unep.org
Some questions to consider
Practicalities
• What is the angle and depth of the sensors
(effective distance to the object and aperture
• What tools can be employed? (which
parameters could it be used to measure)?
• To what depth can it be used?
• Are there applications that can distinguish
between live and dead substrates
• Would the rugosity of coral reefs confuse the
AUV (given the complexity of the contours)
UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Division of Environmental Conventions
c/o UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
http://corals.unep.org
Costs
• What is the life expectancy of the apparatus?
• Cost over 10/ 50/ 100 Surveys
Post collection analysis
• How is data archived
• How complex is the analysis of data?
• What are the maintenance and training
requirements?
UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Division of Environmental Conventions
c/o UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
http://corals.unep.org
Future directions?
• Further evaluation for potential coral
reef applications – contact point for
SUMARE?
• Putting the tools to the test
– Tropical reefs?
– Cold/deep water reefs?
UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Division of Environmental Conventions
c/o UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
http://corals.unep.org
Thank you for your
attention
UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Division of Environmental Conventions
c/o UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
http://corals.unep.org
Considerations and constraints
• Costs
• Accuracy
• Site accessibility
• Site conditions
• Diver dependency
• Capacity (human, institutional, financial)
TRADE OFFS
UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Division of Environmental Conventions
c/o UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
http://corals.unep.org
What to monitor
• 5 areas of coral reef monitoring
– The benthos
– Population ecology
– Reef biodiversity
– Pollutants and anthropogenic impacts
– Community interactions
UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Division of Environmental Conventions Emily Corcoran
c/o UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre Application to coral reef monitoring
http://corals.unep.org
Questions
To be competitive, any method must be robust and
easily used
What are the next steps from here - further
discussions with CRU?
Putting SUMARE tools to the test - tropical reefs/
cold/deepwater reefs
UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Division of Environmental Conventions
c/o UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
http://corals.unep.org
The role for new technologies
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