Abstract

The Caribbean is a highly diverse region, home to hundreds of thousands of marine species, all sharing coral reefs, seagrasses, and mangroves as their interconnected habitats (Harborne et al. 2006). The ecological, biophysical and biogeochemical connections between these three ecosystems is essential for maintaining the livelihoods of millions of people that thrive in marine-coastal areas across the region (Mumby et al., 2004; Failier et al., 2015). Unfortunately, a combination of global and local stressors is triggering rapid change and often degradation of these ecosystems, jeopardizing the well-being of people who rely directly or indirectly on these ecosystems (van Tussenbroek et al. 2014).The project will pilot the first surveys in 2024 and a series of courses on marine community ecology and specific trainings to monitor different indicators to establish temporal trends. MONITOREA will build up capacities and key alliances at national and regional levels to improve our understanding of three highly connected ecosystems and move forward to more effective management in preserving these ecosystems.