CARICOMP program:: Long-term monitoring of marine ecosystems at Morrocoy National Park, Venezuela

The data collected during almost a decade by the CARICOMP (Caribbean Coastal Marine Productivity) program at Morrocoy National Park are presented The aim of this program is to study the structure and function of the three principal Caribbean coastal ecosystems: man-groves, seagrass beds and coral reefs. Currently; more than 12 marine laboratories from 9 countries participate in the network. Since 1992, the program has been executed in Venezuela by Fundacion la Salle in Isla Margarita and INTECMAR (USB) in Parque Nacional Morrocoy: In the latter, INTECMAR has carried out routine monitoring of environmental and biological variables in several localities, in order to characterize the structure, composition and productivity of these marine ecosystems. The information aims to establish comparisons with the data collected by other laboratories, making possible to build a robust data base for understanding long-term threshold responses of these ecosystems to global changes, human impacts and climate changes.