The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), an operational network of ICRI, convened on January 18th for a Steering Committee meeting held online, with key advancements and implications for both the network and global coral reef monitoring.
Building on discussions and developments during previous Steering Committee meetings in February and March 2022, the meeting formalised updates at the global level and from regional nodes.
The new Global Coordinator of the GCRMN, Dr Britta Schaffelke of the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), was formally introduced, emphasising the continued commitment of AIMS to the GCRMN.
The meeting focused on the key activities of the upcoming years, and specifically the core steps needed to formally establish a Data Force to implement a data solution to respond to challenges associated with coral reef monitoring data.
As for regional updates, a regional workshop is planned for 2023 for the ROPME region.
The fruitful exchanges of this online Steering Committee meeting will drive renewed efforts for coral reef monitoring at the global and regional levels, which will be consolidated at the next in-person meeting, to be held later in 2023.
