CSI on Coral ReefsCSI on Coral Reefs

CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS CRIME SCENE DO NOT

Dave GulkoDave GulkoLead, ICRI Committee on Coral Reef Lead, ICRI Committee on Coral Reef

Enforcement & InvestigationEnforcement & Investigation

A Developing International Program to A Developing International Program to Assist Natural Resource Trustees and Assist Natural Resource Trustees and

EnforcementEnforcement

1). For a wide variety of coral reef impact incidents, the people most likely to respond have no formal training or tools for conducting legally-defensible investigations

2). There are no recognized standards for conducting such investigations

1). For a wide variety of coral reef impact incidents, the people most likely to respond have no formal training or tools for conducting legally-defensible investigations

The Problem:

2). There are no recognized standards for conducting such investigations

1). For a wide variety of coral reef impact incidents, the people most likely to respond have no formal training or tools for conducting legally-defensible investigations

3). Most investigations, by necessity, overlap trustee agency needs for mitigation, restoration, mediation, prosecution and compliance management

The Problem:

Working Sub-Group

• Coral Reef Resource Managers

• Ex-homicide Detective & CSI Advisor

• Wildlife Forensic Laboratory

• ERA Specialists

• Coral Reef Restoration Specialists

• Coral Reef Enforcement Specialists

• Coral Reef Ecotoxicologists

Who Are We Talking About

• Marine Enforcement Officers

• Environmental Assessment Specialists

• Litigators

• Natural Resource Managers & Biologists

• Coral Reef Researchers

What Are We Talking About

• Basic Investigation Training & Strategies

• Handling of Data as Evidence

• Providing Ecological & Resource Impact Analysis to Support Prosecution

Basic Assumptions of CR Investigations

• Going to Court

• Limitations: Time, Scale, Resources

• Ecological Complexity

• Remoteness of Operation

Usually it’s not this easy…

Homicide:The ‘CSI’ Approach

• Science driven by legal needs

• Strong burden on documentation

• Strong burden on “Chain-of-Custody”

Homicide:The ‘CSI’ Approach

• Existing International Acceptance

But how do you translate terrestrial techniques to an underwater world?

Wide Range of Wide Range of Applications:Applications:

• • Vessel GroundingsVessel Groundings

• • Destructive FishingDestructive Fishing

• • Illegal FishingIllegal Fishing

• • Illegal TradeIllegal Trade

• • Oil, Chemical, Sediment Oil, Chemical, Sediment SpillsSpills

• • Pollution EventsPollution Events

• • Other Injury EventsOther Injury Events

Draft Toolkit

• Cookbook Approach

• High & Low Tech

• Translatable

Draft Toolkit

• Cookbook Approach

• High & Low Tech

• Translatable

Toolkit• 276 pages (Sections A, B,

D & E) - Finished

• 8.5” x 11”, full color, full bleed, two-sided

• Notebook Style, Expandable

• Spanish Version - Feb. ‘08

• Section C ( Advanced Tools) - Future

Field Flipbook• Durable & Compact

• Outline Form

• Color-Coded

Coral Reef CSI

FIELD

INVESTIGATIVE

PROCEDURES

For Short-Term Human Impact Events on

Coral Reefs

Reference CD

CSI Field Kit

• Most Items Can Be Self Made

• High & Low Tech

• Portable, Self-Contained

Field Training Workshops

ITMEMSOct ‘06

SE AsiaSep ‘08 S. Pac

Spr ‘09

CAFTAApr ‘08

AbrolhosSum ‘09

E. Carib.Oct ‘08

JamaicaSum ‘08

Bahamas

E AfricaS AsiaWin ‘08/09

CAFTA Workshop

Site: Punta Cana, DR

Focal Countries: DR, Honduras, Costa Rica

Regional Coord: Ruben Torres

11/15 Participants, 2 Regional Instr.

3 CSI Instr. , 3 Observers

April 16 - 21, 2008

Sample Workshop Schedule

Daily Lectures/Demos

Dry Field Runs

Injury/Crime Scene

Investigative Dives

Mock Trial

The Regional Workshop Approach:

• Experienced CR CSI Instructors

• Asst CR CSI Instructors from Region

• Regional Participants: Multi-country, Multi-agency, Multi-discipline

Committee Goals• To design a set of draft protocols and techniques

for investigating short-term events on coral reefs.• To conduct a pilot field training workshop at the

upcoming ITMEMS, October 2006.• To use results to produce an international toolkit

and field CSI kits.• To translate toolkit into Spanish.• To conduct regional field training workshops in

2008 & 2009.

Questions?Questions?

The results of these efforts will be in the short term:

• The training of key individuals within each coral reef country in the international standards and protocols developed for conducting defensible investigations of marine natural resource impacts on coral reefs to determine responsible parties, mitigative strategies, and gather evidence for decision-making specifically tailored to their regional coral reef issues and concerns.

• Over the long term, see increased capacity within each country’s marine resource management and enforcement efforts, specifically as it relates to improved investigative capacity.

• See increased success in prosecution, mediation, mitigation, restoration or litigation.

• See greater public compliance and support resulting from these successes.

Eventually we expect to see greater regional multi-country cooperation involving investigations and rapid response capabilities, including formation of regional rapid response teams to deal with large-scale and multi-country marine natural resource impact investigations.

How do we How do we differentiate differentiate

between between destructive destructive

human impacts, human impacts, global climate global climate change, and change, and

natural natural predation?predation?

“Juicing”?

High UV?Coral Bleaching?

Coral Disease?