The Coral Reef Targeted Research and Capacity Building for Management (CRTR) Program has been established to address fundamental information gaps in our understanding of coral reef ecosystems, so that management options and policy interventions can be strengthened globally.

 

For the first time in history, this Program will join the collective effort of many of the World’s leading coral reef scientists to coordinate research and address key outstanding questions about the health of coral reefs.

 

The Program is being developed in phases over 15 years, and through focused and systematic research is working to support management and policy and to better integrate results with other disciplines, such as economics and law. The Program will also enhance the capacity of researchers, students and managers within developing countries, so that a global network can effectively share the most up-to date research to benefit regional, national and local management actions and policy.

 

The Program is coordinated across geographic nodes that reflect the regional distribution of coral reefs and the management initiatives underway to conserve them. The regional nodes will be the focal points for research carried out by international scientific working groups and integrated within an overall research framework consisting of three strategic elements:

 

• Addressing knowledge and technology gaps

• Promoting learning and capacity building

• Linking scientific knowledge to management

 

A major focus of the Targeted Research Program is to build capacity in countries with coral reefs to develop and sustain a robust research framework and to apply the findings in practical ways.

 

Over the past ten years, an increasing awareness of the importance of coral reefs has been evident, especially in light of their rapid decline in many regions and their importance to developing countries.

 

However, significant gaps remain in our understanding of many of the basic forcing functions and processes affecting coral reefs—to the extent that current management options remain severely limited. This targeted research framework is systematically identifying information gaps, and prioritizing them in order of strategic importance to management, so that the resulting information and tools developed can lead to credible outcomes.

 

From 1998-2001, scoping sessions were held with scientists and managers around the world to determine where the major gaps lay in the science and technology currently supporting coral reef management. Based on this effort, six themes were identified and led to the formation of six working groups:

 

1. Bleaching and Local Ecological Factors

2. Connectivity and Large-Scale Ecological Processes

3. Coral Disease

4. Restoration and Remediation

5. Remote Sensing

6. Modelling and Decision Support