Coral Reef Monitoring in Eastern Africa - A Guide for Communities

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Small-scale fisheries provide important contributions to the livelihoods of people in developing countries through employment, income and food security. Most of these fisheries are facing serious threats from overfishing, damaging fishing practices, and climate change among others. However, tools to support community participation in monitoring and management of these fisheries are limited, particularly in developing countries.

This guide fills a critical gap by providing a carefully thought through and practical approach for community-led coral reef and fisheries monitoring. It provides guidance on how local communities, with minimal support, can independently undertake simple coral reef habitat and fisheries monitoring, data collection, analysis and interpretation of their data to improve understanding of the status of their resource and be able to devise appropriate management actions.