Mission: Iconic Reefs is a research project inside of a restoration program, and effectively evaluating outcomes is critical to building knowledge and eventual success. A robust monitoring curriculum has been designed to produce quantifiable and scientifically sound assessments that inform meaningful adaptive management, especially in light of current and expected climate change impact scenarios, and regional stressors such as disease.

The M:IR field team is engaged in monitoring activities at 135 10×10 meter plots across all seven sites, beginning with the acquisition of reef-scale imagery to serve as baselines for future comparison. Evaluation and research aims to track our progress toward our goals answer fundamental questions such as:

M:IR monitoring efforts are extensive, interconnected, and compatible with existing monitoring in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Using multiple methods for data collection and metrics within sample designs intended to be quantitative and statistically robust, evaluation approaches include reef ecosystems, reef structural complexity, communities, populations, and organisms.