Reef Check is a global program that began in 1997 to monitor coral reef resources, to raise public awareness about the problems facing coral reefs, and to look at solutions to the problems. In its first year, the Reef Check teams surveyed over 300 reefs in 31 countries and territories. Results indicated that few reefs were unaffected by human activities, even very remote sites. Over-fishing has reduced high-value indicator organisms such as lobster, sharks and grouper to low levels at most reefs, including some within marine protected areas.

In 1998, over 40 countries are participating in the second annual Reef Check survey, which demonstrates that this volunteer survey has succeeded in raising public awareness about reefs around the world. Preliminary results released at a press conference in Hong Kong on 19 November show that extensive bleaching and mortality of corals has occurred in parallel with the massive 1997/98 El Niño event. Mortality on a scale never previously reported is occurring, including some corals that have previously survived for centuries.

A meeting of senior coral reef scientists and managers from all over the world was held in Miami in 1993 to determine whether recent reports of global reef decline could be verified. There were many individual stories of reef degradation, but there were insufficient data over broad areas of coral reefs to determine any clear patterns. Many reefs in the Caribbean, south-east Asia and Africa were severely damaged, but large tracts of reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans were apparently unaffected and in near pristine condition. This situation catalysed two global coral reef monitoring programs — Reef Check and the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (see following essay).

The Reef Check program aimed to tap into the large pool of enthusiastic volunteer SCUBA divers who often travel to places inaccessible to reef scientists. Scientists at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology developed a set of methods to assess coral reefs rapidly, based on the well-recognised methods used by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network. The assessment methodology was designed to be learnt in a day by non-scientist divers and then applied in teams led by one competent marine biologist. The methods set out to measure the percentage cover of living coral, and then to record the presence of key indicator species that could be easily recognised — lobsters, giant clams, and the major fish species targeted by local fishermen, such as grouper, snapper, parrotfish, and humphead wrasse, or easily recognised reef fish, such as butterfly fish. The methods can be viewed on the Reef Check home page at http://www.ust.hk/~webrc/ReefCheck/reef.html.

The Reef Check program is essentially a community project and depends upon volunteer help to succeed. Coordinators are located in many countries around the world, and they are responsible for organizing training for teams and implementation of actual surveys. Each team has a scientific team leader who is responsible for ensuring that the team is properly trained and carries out the data collection correctly. In general, while scientists are needed for training and surveys, NGOs are the best organizers for Reef Check.

In 1997, most funding was gathered by local Reef Check coordinators who organised travel and accommodation, often receiving generous contributions from tourist operators and travel companies. This year, these funding mechanisms will be supplemented by a grant from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, which has allowed Reef Check programs to grow in Asia, especially in Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. A grant from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has given a big boost to data gathering in the Caribbean. With these clear demonstrations of success, it is expected that additional funding will allow more countries and surveys to be added next year in other parts of the world.

In 1998, Reef Check and the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) formed a partnership within the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI). The GCRMN is focussed as a government level program, and Reef Check will expand to serve as the community-based monitoring protocol for GCRMN. This will allow sharing of coordinators, training, and survey data. In another collaboration, the 1997 data has been sent to the global database, ReefBase at ICLARM in Manila, and will be incorporated as a special unit so that everyone can have access to this invaluable resource.

Reef Check has accomplished a number of goals. It has gathered a comparable two-year set of data as a snapshot of reef health at hundreds of locations around the world. In 1997, the biggest surprises were that there serious over-fishing of high-value reef animals was widespread and that there were virtually no reefs that were not heavily fished, irrespective of how far they were from human population centres. In addition, marine protected areas were generally no different from nearby unprotected areas, such that management regimes do not seem to be working to conserve them. Many other results are described in the summary report on the home page above.

Reef Check has had another significant result beyond gathering data on reef status. The program has involved hundreds of individual SCUBA divers, including housewives and government ministers, in an educational process that taught them about the value of coral reefs, and the threats facing these reefs. These people often became excited about their experiences and now act as ‘missionaries’ in their own communities, spreading the word about the need for coral reef conservation. Stories based on Reef Check community involvement appeared in many of the major publications in the world and were featured on radio and television in dozens of languages. Slowly but surely, we are raising public awareness about coral reef conservation among the general public. Together with GCRMN operating at the government level, and the dozens of other smaller reef conservation programs operating around the world, we have stimulated a demand for coral reef monitoring in most countries with coral reefs. NGOs and research institutes in countries such as Iran and Bangladesh, with little previous history of concern for reefs, are now asking for help.

This year there have been alarming reports of extensive coral bleaching in all coral reef regions of the world. Reef Check teams are now reporting on this, and presenting an alarming picture of extensive coral death in areas where bleaching has been particularly rare before. Some reports concern losses of coral reef cover of around 80% with almost total devastation of the fast growing branching staghorn species (Acropora).

A major objective is to build awareness so that the public will request governments to do more for coral reefs and to support programs aimed at conservation and management. The end goal is to have annual (or more frequent) coral reef status reports that will attract the attention of the public, similar to other regular reports such as weather or economic forecasts.

Monitoring and raising awareness are two of the easier steps up the long ladder towards sustainable management of coral reefs. The results of monitoring enable an evaluation of reef status, so that management decisions can be made. To reach the ultimate goal will require far more resources: resources devoted to creating larger and more marine protected areas with better enforcement of regulations; more funds for aquaculture and stock enhancement research on high-value organisms; better control of fishing; continued public education; and all this within a government framework of Integrated Coastal Management.

In 1999, we will have an unprecedented opportunity to generate more public and government support for coral reef research and conservation following the disastrous global bleaching and mortality event in 1998. The Reef Check program offers a very good opportunity for communities to get involved in solving the problems facing coral reefs.

Gregor Hodgson coordinates Reef Check out of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. e-mail: rcgregor@ust.hk