Indian
Coral Reef Monitoring Network
The ICRMN is a project coordinated and funded by the Ministry
of environment & forests (MoEF), Government of India. The
project was initiated early in 1999 with funding approved for
a preliminary three year period.
The objective of the ICRMN is to provide a framework for monitoring
of coral reefs in the four main coral reef areas of India: Andaman
& Nicobars, Lakshadweep, Gulf of Mannar and Gulf of Kachchh.
As such ICRMN provides a national level program in India for
participation in the GCRMN.
The
ICRMN operates at 4 levels:
1>
Research activities.
2> Infrastructure development.
3> Training & capacity building.
4> Establishment of database &networking.
Global
Coral Reef Monitoring Network
The GCRMN is a worldwide program jointly promoted by four international
agencies: the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of
UNESCO (IOC), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP),
the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the World Bank.
The
aim of the GCRMN is to provide co-ordination and technical
support to coral reef countries throughout the world in order
to develop national-level coral reef monitoring programs.
The purpose of such monitoring is to develop sustainable management
of coral reef resources and to improve livelihoods dependent
on them.
The South Asia regional component of GCRMN (GCRMN South Asia)
includes India, Sri Lanka and the Republic of Maldives. It
is one of the six operational regions worldwide. The others
are the Western Indian Ocean, the Middle East, East Asia,
the Pacific and the Caribbean.
Phase
I of GCRMN South Asia program started in July 1997 with the
following objectives:
1>
Regional training in coral reef survey methods & socio-economic
monitoring.
2> Implementation of a number of pilot monitoring exercises
in the region.
3> Production of coral reef monitoring action plans (CRMAPs)
for each of the six main coral reef areas in South Asia.
