Abstract

This survey is conducted under the project "Building Resilience in Marine Protected Areas in Madagascar" of WWF Madagascar and the Western Indian Ocean. Its purpose is to provide information to ensure that climate change responses are integrated into Marine Protected Area design and management. A further purpose is to build capacity to undertake sound monitoring of coral reefs by partners. Specifically, the study objectives are:

1. To implement a bleaching and resilience rapid assessment protocol that meets the needs of MPA planning and implementation in Nosy Hara;
2. To assess the resistance of coral reefs in Nosy Hara to coral bleaching and climate change;
3. To assess the resilience of coral reefs in Nosy Hara and their ability to recover following a bleaching event;
4. To train Marine Protected Area managers and other partners in implementation of the resilience surveys; and
5. To make recommendations on zoning, design and management of coral reefs within the Marine Protected Area based on the survey findings.

This report contains answers to objectives 2, 3 and 5, while objective 4 was met through an initial training day on the surveys followed by ongoing training during implementation.