Creating a knowledge base that enables assessment of the current status of coral-reef ecosystems across Micronesia in a meaningful and transferable way, funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation (2012 – 2014)
MCT and its partners focused on ecosystem monitoring linked to the Micronesia Challenge and analyzing and disseminating fisheries data to decision makers. To support the Micronesia Challenge, MCT and its partners built capacity of the Micronesia Challenge Measures Working Group and individual jurisdiction monitoring teams to design protocols, conduct biophysical and socio-economic monitoring, and understand and convey the results in meaningful and practical ways to decision makers. During this project MCT and its partners also worked to integrate this monitoring framework into the management of jurisdictional protected area networks and fisheries management efforts. For example, MCT provided financial support to the Micronesia Islands Nature Alliance to develop "Science. Simplified." web content. With this support, the Micronesia Islands Nature Alliance interviewed scientists conducting highly relevant and technical coral reef research. Micronesia Islands Nature Alliance developed the interview questions to help the general public better understand the purpose and implications of research. The interviews were edited for succinctness, and then compelling photographs and graphs are chronologically introduced to visually tell the story as an online audio slideshow. As a result, the science is clearly, concisely made accessible to the general public — in a word, simplified. Please see www.pacmares.com/home/sciencesimplified to view the videos.