Coral Identification Capacity Building Program - Trainer of Trainers Workshop

The Fijian Locally Marine Managed Areas Network (FLMMA) facilitated a Training of Trainers Workshop for The Coral Identification Capacity Building Program in November. The program was hosted at Mana Island Resort in The Mamanucas Group of Islands. The workshop was designed to provide participants with the opportunity to learn how to train others to identify Indo-Pacific hard corals using the Coral Finder. The Coral Finder provides you with a visual summary of 67 of the most common Indo-Pacific genera of stony corals (Scleractinia) and 5 genera of blue, fire, organ pipe and lace corals (stony non-Scleractinia). The Coral Finder is designed to allow you to answer the question “what coral is that?”

Can you name it?

Underside of coral destroying Crown Of Thorns stafish

The workshop was run by Russel Kelley, the Author of the Indo-Pacific Coral Finder Program and Director of the Coral Identification Capacity Building Program; along with Rachel Pears of The Great Barrier Reef Authority and Emre Turak a coral reef taxonomist. GVI Fiji’s Marine Science Coordinator, Candice Brittain, attended the program and was trained to plan, deliver and evaluate a Coral Finder Workshop whilst also improving on her coral identification skills.

With over 600 species of corals in the Indo-Pacific area it can be a particularly difficult group to identify correctly as many are similar in appearance. The Coral Finder has simplified the identification process of coral genera by using key terms and a visual glossary that describe the physical characteristics of a corallite skeleton and coral polyp. This approach guides users to identify corals accurately to genus level regardless of their technical background and expertise.

For more information on the Coral Identification Capacity Building Program visit the coral hub website www.coralhub.info

Coral Identification Capacity Building Program - Trainer of Trainers Workshop