FORCE - Future Of Reefs in a Changing Environment

FORCE project is an integrated research project which takes an ecosystem approach, linking social and ecological aspects towards managing Caribbean coral reefs in the face of climate change. The overall scientific objective of FORCE is to identify the most appropriate management interventions for coral reefs and the governance structures needed for their implementation. 

FORCE will determine the effects of climate change, overfishing, pollution and poor governance on the health of Caribbean reefs. The team will then assemble and refine a toolbox of management measures that can be used to improve the health and wise use of coral reefs. However, not all management measures are equally effective so the project will use ecological models and novel social science methods to assess the efficacy of each tool and the governance constraints to its implementation. Finally, the team will assure longevity of their conclusions beyond 2014 through the production of a region-wide management toolkit.