The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) has operated as the de facto global coral reef observing system since 1999, aggregating data from local levels to national, regional and global, and generating influential global and regional reports. It has played a strong role in building local and national capacity in coral reef reporting, to improve actions to sustain coral reefs in response to priorities set across all these levels. The GCRMN is an operational network of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), and was established in 1995.

GCRMN supports ICRI by working through a global network to strengthen the provision of best available scientific information on, and communication of, the status and trends of coral reef ecosystems, for their conservation and management”. The ultimate aim of GCRMN is to support delivery of positive outcomes for coral reefs and dependent people and sectors by informing policy and management processes at global, regional and local levels.

The GCRMN is critical in supporting key societal priorities to sustain reefs and the benefits they provide to people adopted at the global level, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Global Biodiversity Framework, and tracking of progress in relation to these. GCRMN has four goals, to: 1) improve understanding of coral reef status and trends, globally and regionally; 2) analyse and communicate coral reef biophysical, social and economic trends, providing science-based recommendations in support of raising awareness, management and policy development; 3) enable and facilitate greater utilization of coral reef data, including in research; and 4) build human and technical capacity to collect, analyse and report biophysical and socio-economic data on coral reefs.

GCRMN aggregates coral reef data provided by contributors and generates higher level reporting on reef status and trends. Decades of experience have identified hard coral cover and composition, fleshy algae and fish community structure as essential variables for describing reef health and future prospects, along with varied contextual information that includes socio-economic benefit and pressure interactions, environmental variables, and other ecological and functional variables (such as coral recruitment, coral bleaching, etc.). The GCRMN reports on key variables and identifies three quality levels at which data for these variables can be submitted. This data quality approach enables and facilitates aggregation of data from different sources and also provides clear steps for capacity building to improve the data quality provided by contributors of all levels, and for use in decision-making at multiple levels.

The primary outputs of GCRMN are regional, global and thematic reports on coral reef status and trends, supported by online databases allowing for data curation and enhanced data access for a wide range of stakeholders. To the extent possible, GCRMN works towards open access to data in order to amplify its use in coral reef research, conservation, and relevant planning processes. The GCRMN’s flagship products are the “Status of Coral Reefs of the World” reports, of which, its seventh edition – the Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2025 – is in preparation, and will be released in 2026.

The GCRMN is governed by a Steering Committee that derives its mandate from the ICRI General Meeting. The Steering Committee provides high level oversight, guidance, advocates for the GCRMN and helps secure support and resources. Implementation of the GCRMN is led by a Global Coordinator supported by a host institution, in close partnership with Regional Coordinators, time-bound Task Forces mandated by the Steering Committee, and relevant technical experts. The GCRMN Regional Networks, each with a Regional Coordinator, are the primary structures within the GCRMN, and bring together national networks, relevant institutions and ad hoc contributors of data. Key partners and supporters to the GCRMN include other international and inter-governmental bodies and entities with relevant mandates and expertise that support coral reef monitoring.