Coral reef community-based monitoring in Caño Island, Costa Rica.

Responsible: Andrea Montero-Cordero, Cristina Sánchez
Collaborator: Eva Salas

The project aim is to establish a coral reef monitoring network with community volunteers leaded and trained by scientists, to monitor during one year, reef health in the marine protected area (MPA) of Caño Island Biological Reserve, using Reef Check and REEF protocols. By involving people in a community-based monitoring, Reef Check and REEF serve as the first step in attracting participation in coral reef management activities. In several cases, this has facilitated the creation of well-managed MPAs. The most developed coral reefs along the continental Pacific coast of Costa Rica are concentrated primarily in Caño Island and these reefs hold more than 100 species of coral reef fishes. At Caño Island, coral reefs and coralline communities are an important tourist attraction and economic revenue source. Monitoring needs to be established soon to help support management decisions.

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