NCORE and several partners are organizing the CARRUS Alliance (“Comparative Analysis of Reef Resilience Under Stress” Alliance). The goal of this initiative is to provide a basis for better understanding of coral reefs at the scale of the whole reef system. The Alliance will consist of researchers conducting independently-supported long-term, interdisciplinary research on coral reef systems, including associated social and economic systems, united through agreements for the exchange of information, methods, expertise, and software. One focus of the Alliance will be on developing common research objectives, including the development of decision support tools to facilitate reef management.

The CARRUS Alliance was formally announced and opened to interested research groups at the International Coral Reef Symposium in Japan in June, 2004. All interested parties who failed to make it to the meeting -- particularly those currently engaged in whole reef studies or those who expect to be soon, and to those involved in activities and organizations with potential interests in the Alliance -- are very much welcome to join the Alliance.

For more information regarding the Alliance and for membership inquiries, please contact: Dr. John W. McManus, Director, NCORE, UM-RSMAS, FL (e-Mail: [email protected]).