[Coral-List] Grants, Resources or Advice for Marine Monitoring Program

[Kelley O'Hara]

Greetings,
I am looking to start a (hopefully) long-term marine monitoring  
program in the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica. Our area of interest is  
specifically the waters surrounding Islas Tortugas.  Marine monitoring  
activities will include both diving and snorkeling. The local  
community will also be involved with an environmental awareness  
campaign.

Funding will be used to buy starting materials (like underwater slates  
and identification cards) and for training of community members. This  
program will join several tourism operations with the local community  
to identify and count fish species, as well as enhancing environmental  
awareness of the general public. School children will be asked to  
participate in beach clean-ups and will be part of an educational  
series.

I need to locate sources of funding, but I also would appreciate any  
type of advice or helpful resources.
Has anyone started a monitoring program and struggled with the  
longevity of it?
While tourism and fishing are major sources of income here, does  
anyone have advice on how to make it explicitly clear that  
preservation of species is a good incentive to care?

Thanks!
Kelley