Our research aims to develop modelling resources to enable reef managers to develop scenarios for their own areas, to better understand the links between local, regional and global processes and to access realistic scientific and economic data over the Internet.

The Modelling and Decision Support Working Group integrates the work of the other five CRTR working groups, and combines this with social, economic, ecological and physical information. Scenario building will allow the forecasting of reef ecosystem response to stress under different management/use options (including upstream or offsite development). This will assist decision-makers to improve management interventions and the design or strengthening of relevant policies that contribute to the sustainability of coral reef ecosystems.

Included in this type of synthesis and analysis may be the impact of human stress on altering trophic relationships on coral reefs, particularly the relationship between nutrients, overfishing and the overgrowth of corals by seaweeds; and the reversibility of transitions between coral dominated and algal-dominated states.

The Group’s key objectives are to:

• Develop modelling resources to enable reef managers to develop scenarios for their own areas
• Better understand the links between local, regional and global processes
• Facilitate access to relevant scientific and economic data over the Internet