International Year of the Reef 2008


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The Nature Conservancy

Contact

Sarah Davidson -
Program Coordinator, Marine & Freshwater Policy & Partnerships
4245 N. Fairfax Dr.
Arlington, VA 22203
Tel: (703) 841-8183
Fax: (703) 276-3241

Latest News

TNC is pleased to be supporting the efforts of the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA, www.cbd.int/island/glispa.shtml), including working with GLISPA to organize events at COP9 and at the World Conservation Congress that will highlight progress made in conserving coral reefs.

The CEOs of WWF, CI and TNC released a joint statement in support of marine conservation, and coral reef conservation specifically (PDF File).

Plan of action

The Nature Conservancy has a long history of working to protect coral reef and associated ecosystems; during IYOR 2008, TNC will continue and expand upon this urgent work. Examples include:

  • The Reef Resilience toolkit (www.reefresilience.org) is being updated to integrate current findings on resilience science and their application to MPA design, and to expand its scope to include ecosystems in addition to coral reefs and climate change impacts in addition to coral bleaching. The updated and improved toolkit will be shared during IYOR 2008 in a pre-launch at ICRS and will be launched at the World Conservation Congress.
  • TNC will work with governments, local communities, donor agencies, and local and international organizations to advance political and financial commitments and implementation surrounding large-scale challenges and initiatives in three key regions for coral reef conservation: Micronesia, the Coral Triangle and the Caribbean.
    • TNC will provide support to the governments participating in the Micronesia Challenge to meet their commitments to effectively conserve at least 30% of near-shore marine resources and 20% of forest resources. This includes help in developing conservation strategies and plans and establishing sustainable financing mechanisms.
    • TNC's role in the Coral Triangle Initiative includes supporting the governments in the five broad goals agreed upon in December 2007 at the first Senior Officials Meeting, covering the following topics: 1). Priority seascapes; 2). Ecosystem approach to managing fisheries; 3). Marine protected areas; 4). Climate change adaptation and 5). Threatened species status.
    • The Caribbean Challenge Marine Initiative is the newest major regional initiative and current plans include a formal launch at the CBD COP9 meeting in Bonn. TNC is providing support to governments and partners in the region to mobilize high-level political and financial commitments and attract matching funds from private and public donors to establish MPA networks across the region, and to establish protected area trust funds
  • TNC has recently launched our "Campaign for a Sustainable Planet." This campaign includes a focus on nine large-scale marine priority areas for action. Of these, six will include a focus on protecting coral reef ecosystems: the Coral Triangle, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Basin, Pacific Islands, the Western Indian Ocean, and the Eastern Tropical Pacific.
  • TNC is pleased to be supporting the efforts of the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA), including working with GLISPA to organize events at COP9 and at the World Conservation Congress that will highlight progress made in conserving coral reefs.
  • Around the world, TNC will be collaborating with local partners on their plans for IYOR. Some examples include:
    • In Florida, TNC will host a conference to present results from the Florida Reef Resilience Program's most recent efforts to improve understanding of coral reef resilience by exploring the biological and environmental aspects of reef health and by asking "What is it that people want and need from coral reefs?".
    • In Hawaii, TNC's IYOR plans include working with local press to highlight coral reef issues on a regular basis throughout the year, and a focus on bringing the lessons learned from the Pacific on MPAs and community-based work back to Hawaii.
    • In Indonesia, in addition to the efforts undertaken in relation to the Coral Triangle Initiative, TNC will continue to support the work of national and district governments to designate new coral reef MPAs and to progress with the design of new resilient MPA networks. We will conduct a Rapid Ecological Assessment jointly with CI around Halmahera Island. Site visits for national media will be organized in conjunction with IYOR. A Pride campaign will be implemented in Raja Ampat that will focus on protecting coral reefs. Additionally, with the generous support of the Walton Family Foundation, TNC is developing a proposal, in coordination with partners, for a consolidated marine conservation program in the Sunda- Banda Seascape, situated in the heart of the Coral Triangle.
    • In the Bahamas, TNC is working with the government and other partners to carry out a Coastal Awareness Month in April 2008 focused on coral reefs. In addition, we are collaborating on a public awareness program targeted on schools and civic groups.

    Useful Resources