Why Do We Need to Monitor Reefs?

With over 27,000 square kilometers of reefs, the Philippines has the third largest coral reef area on earth. These reefs are home to thousands of marine species, including over 500 coral species and over 2000 fish species. But what is a coral reef, exactly?

Coral reefs and how they grow

Coral reefs aren’t just places where corals grow. They are huge geological structures that are built by corals over thousands of years. Corals are animals, and they eat, breathe, and reproduce just like any other animal. They also produce skeletons made of calcium carbonate, the same material that you can find in eggshells and your own teeth.

Over time, the reef is built as new corals grow over the skeletons of dead corals. This accumulation of coral skeletons produces a solid calcium carbonate substrate which acts as the reef bottom. Without corals, reefs cannot grow.

What coral reefs do for people

Reefs are part of almost every Filipino’s life. Their huge geological structures protect coastal communities from storm surges and tsunamis by reducing wave energy. These coastal communities also depend on reefs for food and livelihood.

Over 25% of all known marine species on Earth can be found on reefs, making them one of the world’s richest ecosystems. This extraordinary biodiversity results in scenic underwater views for tourists to enjoy. The white sand that beachgoers love is also produced by corals, with one square meter of healthy reef producing one to five kilograms of white sand every year.

Reefs are also an important source of medicine. One example is National Scientist Lourdes Cruz’s discovery of the use of marine cone snail venom as a possible treatment for epilepsy, heart attacks, and other diseases.

Our reefs are in danger

Despite their importance, the very existence of reefs is threatened by human-induced climate change and direct human impacts, such as destructive fishing practices. According to the most recent nationwide reef assessment, we have lost a third of our corals in the last decade. The average hard coral cover of reefs in our country is now 22.8%.

Our reefs are in dire need of protection. But we cannot protect what we cannot understand, and there are not enough scientists to study all of our reefs.

How you can help

We need citizen scientists to help us study our reefs. Reef monitoring will allow us to strategize how we can best protect and manage our reefs, and how to keep these management systems running for a long time.

With the Alwan Methods, anyone who can swim and skin dive can help monitor reefs. You just need to learn how to identify butterflyfish species, target marine invertebrates, and corals.

The amount of hard coral on a reef is the most important indicator of reef health. Remember, without hard corals reefs cannot continue to exist.

Butterflyfish are good indicators of biodiversity as they are closely associated with corals. Target marine invertebrates can help explain why a reef might be changing. For example, the presence of the coral eating crown-of-thorns-starfish or COTS may explain a decline in hard coral cover.

Our reefs need us. Now, everyone and anyone can help.