AIMS Long-term Monitoring Program

The AIMS Long-term Monitoring Program (LTMP) is designed to detect changes in reef communities at a subregional scale. In this context, a subregion encompasses inshore, mid-shelf and outer shelf reefs across the continental shelf within one band of latitude (a sector). \n \nReef surveys involve three approaches: \n \n1. broadscale manta tow surveys of crown-of-thorns starfish populations and reef-wide coral cover \n2. Intensive photographic surveys of stationary seafloor (benthic) organisms on fixed transects \n3. intensive visual counts of reef fish, juvenile corals, crown-of-thorns starfish, coral-eating snails and coral disease and bleaching.\nSweatman, Hugh PA, Dr (