NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Integrated Observing System (CREIOS) workshops report

The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) conducted two regional workshops in Hawai'i (November 2008) and Puerto Rico (May 2009) to address its national-level mapping and monitoring activities under the Coral Reef Ecosystem Integrated Observing System (CREIOS). NOAA scientists with technical expertise in mapping and monitoring coral reef ecosystems met with resource managers and local scientists from all U.S. coral reef jurisdictions, as well as representatives from Federal agencies and Fishery Management Councils. The facilitated workshops were successful in eliciting priority information needs from managers, and highlighting important issues of concern. This document presents a summary of the discussions held during both workshops, major outcomes, and next steps.