Rita BENTO

Rita Bento is a Marine Biologist and Research Associate at New York University Abu Dhabi. With nearly two decades of monitoring experience, her research focuses on the resilience of coral reef communities in the face of recurrent disturbances. She leads the UAE National Coral Reef Monitoring Program and coordinates the Regional Coral Reef Monitoring Program for the ROPME Sea Area, integrating data and expertise from seven countries. She contributes regional data to the ICRI Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network and serves on the ROPME Sea Area Core Technical Team for the first global Red List of Ecosystems assessment of coral reefs.