Monitoring marine protected areas in Thailand: Reef fish, whale sharks and divers

Monitoring programs offer a tool for making scientifically sound decisions through measuring natural variability and human impacts within and surrounding Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). In this thesis, I designed, conducted and evaluated three marine fish monitoring studies at Mu Koh Surin Marine National Park. The MPA is 70 kilometers off the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea.; The objective of the first study was to present an ecosystem level monitoring study designed to provide a baseline approach for the park's biological inventory.; The objective of the second study was to present a population level monitoring study at a patch reef scale that could be used for reducing biases in coral reef fish visual census protocols.; The objective of the third study was to present an individual species level monitoring study, and to discuss and evaluate the potential of non-specialist volunteers (NSVs) to collect that data for scientific research and conservation purposes. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...