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Fact sheet – Climatology and Climatic Variability of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden |
Fact sheet – Vulnerability and Resilience of Coral Reefs
Title of the course
Training on assessment of coral reef vulnerability to human and climate change impacts
Rationale
Worldwide, coral reefs are suffering from various impacts due to a range of causes and sources. Several international initiatives, e.g. Reef Check and GCRMN, have established and created standardized protocols for underwater assessment of reef damage and impacts. Such standardized, community-based and volunteer protocols facilitate the evaluation of the detected reef damage and impact in a wide-reaching comparable approach.
PERSGA has established since 2002 the Standard Survey Methods (SSMs) for key habitats and species in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Some of the international survey protocols were adopted by these SSMs and modified to cope with the specific nature and habitats of the region. The PERSGA SSMs include rapid and detailed assessment methods for intertidal habitats, mangroves, corals and coral communities, seagrass and seaweeds, subtidal habitats, reef fishes, marine turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals. The development regional SSMs has facilitated the acquisition of comparable data and monitoring. PERSGA has also conducted training for the national and regional specialist teams to enable them carry out survey assessments using the SSMs.
However, the international initiatives have developed as well, such as Bleach Watch which established in 2002 by the Great Barrier Reef Authority to monitor/detect coral bleaching, as an effect of seawater temperature rise related to climate change; and Coral-Reef Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) which was designed in 2006 by ICRAN to detect/evaluate the different anthropogenic impacts on reefs.
As one of the long-term objectives, PERSGA considers updating and promoting skills of the national teams of experts as on-going activities, and usually undertakes such activities through the annual training programme.
Objectives
The objective of the workshop is to introduce specialists from the region to new international protocols of impact assessment and their applications worldwide. Theoretical and field training are necessary in this workshop to ensure the consistency of the training approach and assist participants to acquire both theoretical background and field procedures needed to apply these methods by them in the future.
Participants
Participants of this workshop will be nominated by PERSGA focal points in their respective countries. They should be selected from the authorities/departments responsible for the impact assessment for compensation procedures (e.g. marine park directors and rangers). Each participant should be a skilled diver and holding a valid diving certificate (minimum 2 stars/advanced diver) as the workshop includes underwater training on the impact assessment methods.
The total expected number for this workshop is not to exceed 15 participants.
Date and Duration
The duration of the workshop is five working days and it will be conducted during June 13-17, 2010.
Location
PERSGA Regional Center for Emergency Mutual Aids in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (EMARSGA) in Hurghada, Egypt.
Organizers
PERSGA and ISESCO, in collaboration ICRAN.
Language
The training language is English. Arabic will be used as an auxiliary medium where appropriate.
Training Materials/References
Details to be provided at a later stage
Instructors/Keynote speakers
Details to be provided at a later stage