Visioning Better Futures (The Vision Tree Tool)

The Socio-economic Monitoring for Coastal Management (SocMon) methodology provides a mixed set of tools and methods for data collection ranging from the quantitative (e.g. surveys) to the qualitative (key informant interviews, focus groups and visualization techniques). Visualization techniques are powerful means for collecting and displaying data. Their utility in displaying data is one of their greatest strengths for communicating the results of SocMon. They offer alternative visualization of socio-economic data that may be more useful for decision-making. The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) SocMon Manual (Bunce et al. 2000) describes a suite of these techniques (see pages 113-144) for application. This GCRMN SocMon methodological update identifies the Vision Tree as another useful participatory visualization technique. The tool is fully described using a similar format to that of visualization techniques highlighted in the GCRMN SocMon Manual.