Reef Check Australia (RCA) is a not-for-profit organisation which has been training members of the Australian community in the Reef Check reef health monitoring method since 2001. The participants are SCUBA-divers who want to make a difference by collecting quantitative data on key indicator species and threats to reef health on the Great Barrier Reef and in South-East Queensland rocky reefs. In order to participate in surveys, volunteers must undertake an intensive training programme, at the end of which they also receive a PADI distinctive specialty certification. The accuracy of the data has been measured and the variability between observers and transect re-deployment is 12 % The data collected is summarised into annual reports available on the RCA website and summary data is also publically available on the RCA webpage (www.reefcheckaustralia.org/data.html). The reef health assessments can be used by managers for early detection of impacts, a source of raw data for researchers and students or as an independent source of information for concerned citizens. The data collected can also be used as a baseline for unexpected events such as the Moreton Bay oil spill in 2009 or the South-East Queensland floods of January 2011, which may have wide-ranging environmental impacts.
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