About Reef Check

What is the issue?
Reef Check is the United Nations’ official community-based coral reef monitoring program. Reef Check Australia is a part of this global network of volunteers who regularly monitor and report on reef health.

Australia is home to the world’s most extensive and pristine coral reefs. Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia’s greatest icons, but beautiful and biodiverse coral reefs are also found in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and the Cocos Keeling Islands.

Coral reefs around the world are under enormous pressure from human activities and climate change. Although Australia’s reefs are among the best managed in the world, they are not immune to these threats. Reef Check offers a way for the public to help look after our coral reefs.

What do we do?
Reef Check Australia involves the public in coral reef conservation. Our volunteers are recreational scuba divers who monitor the health of reefs around Australia and the Indo-Pacific.

Reef Check Australia partners with leading marine research organisations, tourism companies and dive operations, universities, government, local and international volunteers and a variety of other businesses and organisations.

Our globally-accredited training program provides our volunteers with the tools to gather high quality data that are useful to coral reef managers.

We aim to educate the public about the value of coral reefs and the crisis facing the world’s reefs. The information we collect is used by community groups, governments, universities and businesses to design and implement ecologically sound and economically sustainable coral reef management.

Our projects stimulate local action to protect remaining pristine reefs and rehabilitate damaged reefs worldwide.

Download our fact sheet (80KB pdf) and find out more about our mission.