Transforming Coral Reef Monitoring with MERMAID Webinar
Did you know that less than 15% of the world’s coral reefs have been monitored? This data gap has made it difficult to track changes and protect these critical ecosystems.
On 20 February 2025, an engaging webinar explored MERMAID, a global platform for coral reef monitoring. Launched in 2018, MERMAID has since empowered over 2,000 scientists from 70+ organizations across 46 countries to collect, analyze, and act on coral reef data. By simplifying field data collection and analysis, MERMAID has enhanced workflow efficiency and enabled rapid assessment of reef health.
During the webinar, speakers provided an overview of the MERMAID platform and highlighted its application in two unique contexts:
Centralizing coral reef data from the Arabian/Persian Gulf for global reporting
Monitoring small-scale marine protected areas in the Philippines
This session offered valuable insights into how MERMAID has been driving impactful coral reef conservation efforts worldwide and helping managers improve their monitoring workflows.
Speakers:
- Dr. Emily Darling, Director of Coral Reef Conservation and Co-Founder of MERMAID, Wildlife Conservation Society
- Dr. Rita Bento, Research Associate, NYU Abu Dhabi
- Dr. Angelique Brathwaite, Science Director, Blue Alliance Marine Protected Areas
The webinar lasted for one hour, with presentations followed by an open Q&A session. A recording of the webinar is available on the Reef Resilience Network website, YouTube channel, and at www.octogroup.org/webinars.
This webinar was brought to you by the Reef Resilience Network and OCTO, in collaboration with the International Coral Reef Initiative, as part of their #ForCoral webinar series.