International Year of the Reef (IYOR)
Eye-on Events, September 2008

IYOR DEMA Sponsored Seminar

Las Vegas, Nevada October 22-25

The DEMA Show is the only international trade-only event for the diving, action water sports and adventure travel industries. More than 11,500 professionals will gather in Las Vegas, Nevada October 22-25 to combine business, pleasure, education and diving and discover the treasure of DEMA Show. Beyond the exhibit floor, DEMA Show also provides excellent educational programming and events for industry professionals. This year, in celebration of the International Year of the Reef, the show organizers sponsored and facilitated the organization of a "DEMA Sponsored Seminar" on coral reef to be held on the 24th. This will give the opportunity to the IYOR coordinator the present the Year of the Reef to a large and new audience.
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ICRI-sponsored event on Coral Reefs at the IUCN WCC Marine Pavilion

Barcelona, October 8th 2008

The ICRI secretariat is sponsoring an event at the upcoming IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona at the Marine Pavilion on Wednesday 8 of October (8pm-9:30pm). The general theme of the event is “Coral Reefs” and presentations will be made by the ICRI secretariat, the International Year of the Reef, the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network among others. The agenda will be available soon. If you have any questions, please contact Francis Staub
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ICRI side event at Ramsar Meeting

Changwon, Republic of Korea, 28 October - 4 November 2008

The Ramsar Secretariat kindly agreed on the tenure of an ICRI side event at the upcoming 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Wetlands (Changwon, Republic of Korea, 28 October - 4 November 2008). The side event entitled: “ICRI International Year of the Reef 2008“ will be held on the 4th of November from 13:15 to 14:45 (room 605). The purpose of the side event is to present the International Coral Reef Initiative, its work (relevant to mangroves) and improve the collaboration between “mangrove countries” and ICRI. During the event, the link between mangroves and coral reefs will be highlighted, and some countries (with coral and mangroves) will present their work (Mexico as the current co-chair of ICRI has already agreed to participate). At the end of the side event, there will be a brief presentation of the International Year of the Reef campaign.
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Bad Neighbors Wins Film Festival Award

International Year of the Reef Hawai'i

International Year of the Reef - Hawai'i campaign's public service announcement, "Bad Neighbors" wins first place at the Hawai'i Ocean Film Festival in the marine resources short category. This public service announcement was created by Malama Hawai'i, with funding from the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, support from the state Division of Aquatic Resources and The Nature Conservancy, and generous pro-bono work for the International Year of the Reef Hawai'i campaign.
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11th International Coral Reef Symposium - Outcomes overview

July 7-11, 2008

International Coral reef Symposium is that the news for coral reef ecosystems is far from encouraging. Climate change is now much faster than in an ice-age transition, and coral reefs continue to suffer fever-high temperatures as well as sour ocean conditions. Corals may be falling behind, and there appears to be no special silver bullet remedy. Nevertheless, there are hopeful signs that we should not despair.
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Following the recent 11th International Coral Reef Symposium, the largest scientific conference to provide the latest knowledge about coral reefs worldwide, an International Call to Action for Coral Reefs has been issued. We encourage you to sign and dissiminate it

Reef 4 All donations program

SeaQuest Marine is proud to partner with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) to help raise awareness to the threats facing our coral reefs. To show our commitment to coral reef conservation, SeaQuest Marine has created the Reef 4 All donations program. As part of the Reef 4 All program, SeaQuest Marine will donate 1% of all sales to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to support International Year of the Reef initiatives and Coral Reef Conservation.
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You can donate directly to the online IYOR Fund. All donations made to the IYOR Fund (administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), a 501(c)3 non-profit conservation organizations) are tax deductible. Learn More

World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD)

September 18, 2008

World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) is pleased to partner with the International Year of the Reef (IYOR) in 2008 in a joint effort to highlight the importance of water quality to marine wildlife. Slight shifts in key water quality indicators such as pH, temperature, turbidity and dissolved oxygen can have a direct impact on where marine organisms live (in this case coral reefs) and whether their populations are able to flourish. Citizens around the globe are encouraged to monitor their oceans in celebration of IYOR this year.
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WEF and IWA will officially launch WWMD 2008 September 18 in Washington, D.C. Click here for details.

Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument Educator Expedition

July 13-24th, 2008

A very unique International Year of the Reef expedition is currently under way in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. A group of educators from across Oceania, cultural practitioners from Hawai'i, traditional resource managers, archaeologists, and two deep-sea researchers from the University of Hawai'i are aboard the NOAA Ship HI'IALAKAI in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Marine and coral reef educators from Palau, Fiji, Marshall Islands, American Samoa, Australia, Kiribas, Cook Islands, and Hawai'i have been selected to participate in this first of its kind expedition, and to share their expertise and experiences helping to promote coral reef conservation. NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is the coordinator of the expedition, and through it they hope to enhance the networks of information sharing among educators in Oceania. The ultimate goal is to learn how we can work together to better protect the coral reefs and marine environments in our island nations, using Papahanaumokuakea and its nearly pristine resources as an inspirational learning environment.
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Third awareness meeting

Gulf of Mannar, India

The third awareness meeting was held in Thirespuram coastal village (Gulf of Mannar, Tuticorin district) on 19th July at 6.30 PM. Dr. Jamila Patterson gave a talk about the International Year of the Reef, and the importance of conservation of coral reefs for the bright future of the next generation. Mr. Iyyamperumal of the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve Trust (GOMBRT) gave a talk on the role of GOMBRT in coral conservation. Mr. K. Diraviya Raj (PhD student) gave a detailed talk about coral status and the need for conservation. In between the talks, several entertainment programmes (song, drama and dance - related to coral conservation) were performed by the local fisherwomen and also by the school children. The fourth village awareness meeting will be held in Inigo Nager fishing village on September 21st.
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IYOR proclamation in Florida

Broward County Commission proclaims support for International Year of the Reef, recognizes Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative, designates July 7-11, 2008 as "11th International Coral Reef Symposium Week" in Broward County, Florida
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Exhibit on French Coral Reefs

Paris, July 4th - September 28th, 2008

In this international year of the coral reefs, the Aquarium of Porte Doree (Paris, France) is holding an exhibit on the French coral reefs. This exhibit will also feature the underwater photographs of Claude Rives, author of a recent book: "France of the tropical seas".
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2008 Coral Reef Resource Roundup CD

NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program

The 2008 Resource Roundup CD is a collection of coral reefs education and outreach materials created by state and federal agencies as well as non-profit organizations that are part of the Education and Outreach Working Group of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (Task Force).
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Clean Up East Asian Seas Campaign 2008

COBSEA, the UNEP Regional Seas Programme for the East Asian Seas region has just launched its Clean Up East Asian Seas Campaign 2008. The campaign encourages organizations among the COBSEA member countries to register local cleanup activities to the campaign and to report their data. COBSEA member countries are also encouraged using this campaign to promote the International Year of the Reef.
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G8 Environment Ministers Meeting 2008

May 24-26, Kobe City, Japan

Minister Ichiro Kamoshita chaired the discussions at the meeting on the 3 main themes: Climate Change, Biodiversity and the 3Rs. The Chair's Summary has been issued as an outcome of the meeting. Also, an agreement has been reached among the G8 countries on the "Kobe Call for Action for Biodiversity" in which the International Year of the Reef is recognized. Learn More (PDF File)

IYOR Fund

in partnership with NFWF

In addition to participating in IYOR events and developing your own activities and events as part of the campaign you can also offer financial support to the IYOR campaign. You can donate directly to the online IYOR Fund. All donations made to the IYOR Fund (administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), a 501(c)3 non-profit conservation organizations) are tax deductible. Learn More