Survey method and objective / List of species

Our initiatives

Okinawa Churashima Research Center is a leading institution in the study of the coastal ecosystem in Okinawa, and established the Seaweed and Seagrass survey program in 2009. Since then, we have been conducting seasonal field surveys of the benthic flora of coral reefs in the northern parts of Okinawa.

By means of an inventory survey, we have determined the contemporary state of seaweed and seagrass.

We wish to contribute to the research concerning the health of coral reefs and how they change over the long-term. We also believe that these activities will help to improve our understanding on how to protect their ecosystem.

Quadrat survey

Data from quadrat surveys can help to reveal the changes of seaweed and seagrass vegetation within a permanently marked area (2 square-meters) over long periods of time.
Analyzing data from these surveys enables us to reveal the long-term changes in the benthic flora.