Citizen Science

Community Reef Monitoring

Although the Verde Island Passage (VIP) remains the world’s center of marine biodiversity, It’s vibrant reefs are threatened by a variety of environmental issues. In order to develop effective methods of protecting the VIP’s Reefs, the SEA Institute was invited as a partner to develop and provide a “reef monitoring toolkit” for local coastal communities along the VIP.
 
Community volunteers conduct reef surveys using snorkel and free dive gear and skills to to collect data on hard coral cover, fish, invertebrates and trash. SEA introduced the monitoring tool kit in Barangay San Teodoro in Mabini, Batangas and in Lobo, Batangas
 
Through local involvement and the use of scientific evidence to craft this “reef monitoring tool kit”, we hope to empower community members to lead the initiative in protecting our beloved coral reefs.