Reef Check Australia involves the
public in coral reef conservation.

Reef Check

Our volunteers are recreational scuba divers who monitor the health of reefs around Australia and the Indo-Pacific.

Reef Check Australia partners with leading marine research organisations, tourism companies and dive operations, universities, government, local and international volunteers and a variety of other businesses and organisations.

Our globally-accredited training program provides our volunteers with the tools to gather high quality data that are useful to coral reef managers.

Monitoring the reef, Magnetic Island, Townsville

We aim to educate the public about the value of coral reefs and the crisis facing the world’s reefs. The information we collect is used by community groups, governments, universities and businesses to design and implement ecologically sound and economically sustainable coral reef management.

Our projects stimulate local action to protect remaining pristine reefs and rehabilitate damaged reefs worldwide.

To find out more see www.reefcheckaustralia.org

Reef Check Townsville

Hard Coral on Nelly Bay

This project was established during 2005 to increase the number of inshore sites monitored by Reef Check volunteers in the Townsville region. While inshore reefs are less often frequented by recreational divers, those off Townsville have some of the greatest biodiversity of hard coral on the Great Barrier Reef.

Due to their close proximity to the shore, inshore reefs are particularly susceptible to the effects of human activities, both marine and land based. Increased sedimentation from dredging or construction activities and nutrient pollution from land-based activities are among the threats facing inshore reefs.

Reef Check Australia has formed a partnership with Creek to Coral, a combined Townsville and State Government initiative to maintain and enhance our healthy waterways in the coastal dry tropics. Reef Check volunteers from the Townsville region will be conducting surveys of a number of sites around Magnetic Island during 2005.