The Socioeconomic Component of the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) is currently in
the process of monitoring socioeconomic indicators across all U.S. coral reef territories and jurisdictions.
These indicators fall under the following broader categories: the demographics of these areas, human
use of coral reef resources, and knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of coral reefs and coral reef
management. The overall goal of this endeavor is to track relevant information regarding each
jurisdiction's population, social and economic structure, society's interactions with coral reef resources,
and the responses of local communities to coral management. NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program
(CRCP) will use the information for future research, to assess the socioeconomic outcomes of
management activities, and to improve the results of programs designed to protect coral reef resources.
This report outlines human dimensions information relevant to coral reef resources in the
Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The findings here are derived from a combination
of data gathered through household surveys conducted from August 2016 to April 2017, and additional
secondary sources of socioeconomic information for the region. Survey results show that CNMI
residents participate in beach recreation and swimming most frequently. Additionally, 38% of residents
indicated that they participate in fishing or gathering of marine resources. Perceptions concerning
marine resource condition tend to vary amongst CNMI residents, they generally support a range of
potential marine management policies and regulations, and are moderately familiar with the various
threats facing coral reefs.
The findings contained within this report represent the baseline assessment for future socioeconomic
monitoring of CNMI's coral reefs, and they will feed into composite indicators that will detail the status
of CNMI's coral reef adjacent communities in relation to the other US coral reef jurisdictions. Surveys
are planned to be repeated in each US coral reef jurisdiction after the completion of a full monitoring
cycle, approximately once every five to seven years.
Citation: M. Gorstein, J. Loerzel, P. Edwards, A. Levine, and M. Dillard. (2019). National Coral Reef Monitoring
Program Socioeconomic Monitoring Component: Summary Findings for CNMI, 2016. US Dep. Commerce, NOAA Tech. Memo., NOAA-TM-NOS-CRCP-34, 69p. + Appendices.
