Ecological Monitoring Program (EMP) is a coral reef research program started by the CPAD foundation on Koh Tao and carried forth by the Save Koh Tao and the individual dive shops. Through this program, Save Koh Tao collects information on the biodiversity and abundance of the fish, invertebrate, and coral species on Koh Tao.

By coupling this information with water quality and other data we hope to construct accurate pictures of the negative and positive trends in reef health around the island. Baseline data has been gathered since 2006, but it takes time for trends to appear outside of seasonal changes. As of June 2008, Scuba Schools International (SSI) has endorsed the course and is working with Save Koh Tao to develop a comprehensive program that can be taught all over the Gulf of Thailand; Funding future projects, raising awareness and increasing the amount of data available on our area. It is now possible to become certified by SSI as either a student or an instructor in conducting the Koh Tao EMP. Courses are being taught at participating dive schools on the island, for more info contact us or SSI Thailand Directly.

The data collected through this program is used by the organization to focus protection and restoration efforts and published for presentation to local and regional government bodies for future project planning. We believe in the free sharing of information, and if you would like copies of the raw data from reef checks and water testing on Koh Tao Please contact us.