Conservation and management applications of the REEF Volunteer Survey Program

Background/Question/Methods Volunteer data collection, or citizen science, provides a valuable alternative for scientists and resource agencies needing information but lacking sufficient resources to gather it. With citizen science, a portion of monitoring costs is born by volunteers and sampling effort and geographic coverage are typically much larger than would otherwise be feasible. Additionally, volunteer involvement leads to increased resource stewardship. The Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) Volunteer Survey Project (VSP) is one such citizen science program. REEF volunteers collect fish distribution and abundance data using a standardized visual method during diving and snorkeling activities. Survey data are submitted through an online data interface (paper scanforms are available to volunteers without Internet access). Quality control and error checking programs are run and the data are parsed into an SQL database. Visitors to the REEF website can generate a variety of summary reports from the database.

Results/Conclusions Since the project's inception in 1993, the VSP has involved over 12,000 divers and snorkelers in the collection of population and distribution data. This citizen science program has generated one of the largest marine life databases in the world, with over 115,000 surveys conducted to date at thousands of sites throughout the coastal waters of North and Central America, Caribbean and Hawaii. The program has resulted in a collaborative enterprise in which the general public engages in inquiry and investigation that results in practical management solutions. Data generated through the VSP have been used in a variety of conservation and management applications, including in the development of the stock assessments, the assessment of marine reserve effects, and the assessment of at-risk species. REEF surveyors become keen observers and field naturalists; as a result REEF volunteers have been instrumental in the identification and removal of exotic species and in the identification of new species. Beyond providing valuable data, REEF's efforts empower volunteers to take an active role in support of effective marine resource management as well as serve an important role in educating the public about issues and threats facing marine resources.