Latest News

Educational DVD on the coral reef ecosystem

An educational DVD that covers the basics of coral reef ecology together with a summary of their ecological, economical and social value and the main factors that are threatening them on a regional and on a global scale is now available in Germany. The effects of global warming and ocean acidification play an important role and are covered among others by interview sections with Prof. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg and Dr. Paul Marshall.
We – Buckle-Up Productions and Gerd Haegele as producers - are looking for distribution partners worldwide with well established distribution networks for educational media.
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Reef Check "Year of the Reef Song"

Sing the "Year of the Reef Song" and enter to win up to $1000 USD! In celebration of the International Year of the Reef, Reef Check is holding a Youth Singing Contest with the main goal of engaging young people in learning about coral reefs. The contest is free to enter, and people from every part of the world are encouraged to participate. We will be looking for creative, original performances that celebrate ocean conservation and local culture. Participants have the option of translating the Song and singing in their own local language, using local musical instruments! Three cash prizes will be awarded to the best group performances.

The contest will close for submissions on December 31, 2008.

Hurry up! Gather your friends, a guitar, a video recorder and sing! Your group could be one of the three winners!
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Joint Ministerial Statement - 9th Australia-Indonesia Ministerial Forum

The ninth meeting of the Australia-Indonesia Ministerial Forum (AIMF) was held in Canberra on 12 November 2008. In the Ministrerial statement issued after the Forum. IYOR is recognized: "Ministers recognised the value and importance of coral reefs and threats to their survival, noting that 2008 was the International Year of Coral Reefs. In that context, Ministers welcomed Indonesia's leadership on the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security to safeguard the region's marine and coastal biological resources and looked forward to the CTI Leaders' Summit in 2009. Ministers also welcomed Indonesia's initiative in hosting the World Ocean Conference in May 2009 to advance discussion on oceans and climate change."
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Coral Reef Resilience DVD

The IUCN/CORDIO/IYOR Coral Reef Resilience DVD is an educational tool useful for managers, teachers, coral reef practitioners or anyone who is interested in learning more about coral reefs and climate change. It focuses on coral bleaching and how coral colonies and coral reef ecosystems can resist and recover from bleaching stress. The DVD explores various environmental and ecological factors that affect a coral reef's resilience to, or capacity to recover from, bleaching, and is a good introduction to the subject. Contact: ggrimsditch@iucnus.org.
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AWARE Kids International Year of the Reef 2008 Art Contest

Nearly 1,400 art entries from around the world were received during the Project AWARE Foundation's International Year of the Reef Art Contest. AWARE Kids ages 3 - 12 from around the world contributed stunning art depicting the contest theme "Celebrate the Reef - Every Act Counts". Wyland, Official Artist for International Year of the Reef 2008 and Rogest, renowned marine artist and conservationist, lent expertise to the contest, helping select prize-winners in each age group from Indonesia to Canada, Colombia to Slovenia.
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First Environment Achievement Contest to Help Save Coral Reefs

Magic Porthole's First Environment Achievement Contest to help coral reefs is now underway with a deadline of December 31st 2008. The contest, held in honor of the International Year of the Reef (IYOR) 2008, invites individuals of all ages and organizations to participate. It is attracting young and not so young to tell about their own or their organization's efforts to help save coral reefs. Efforts can be what you are doing far from the oceans to help reduce Global Climate Change with energy efficiency and to stop pesticides and other pollutants from getting into the water. Near the ocean shore your project might be to stop trash getting into the water. Nearby coral reefs, your project might be to help reduce damage from inadequately controlled tourism and excessive or destructive types of fishing. Prize winners will be chosen for best efforts and the impact of their actions. The First prize is a trip to a coral reef on board Research Vessel Tiburon with Captain Tim Taylor. Contact Janine Selendy: jselendy@gmail.com.
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"String of Pearls for Belize", Reef Symposium & Gala

Belize, November 14, 2008

Belize has over two decades of marine conservation leadership, beginning with the designation of the Mesoamerican Reef's first marine protected area, Half Moon Caye Natural Monument in 1981 and the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, designated in 1987. Belize has continued to develop a marine protected areas network that boasts eighteen MPAs forming the precious 'string of pearls" for Belize. In celebrating the International Year of the Reef, the Government of Belize has redoubled its marine conservation efforts and has introduced a series of new initiatives, and legislation aimed at strengthening marine conservation. The NGO and donor community is poised to collaborate with government to increase support for expanding conservation programs. The Reef Symposium and Gala will highlight and invigorate these efforts.

IYOR UK Update - Issue 2

The second issue of the IYOR UK Update is now available. In this issue, you will find reports on the events and activities organized in the UK to raise awareness of the value and importance of coral reefs and to motivate people to take action to protect them.
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Climate change: pushing species to the brink

Barcelona, Spain, 8 October, 2008 (IUCN)

Thirty-five percent of the world's birds, 52 percent of amphibians and 71 percent of warm-water reef-building corals are likely to be particularly susceptible to climate change, the first results of an IUCN study have revealed.

The report identified more than 90 biological traits which are believed to make species most susceptible to climate change. It found that 3,438 of the world's 9,856 bird species have at least one out of 11 traits that could make them susceptible to climate change.

Reef Base Pacific

Call for contribution

The WorldFish Center and ReefBase are pleased to announce the launch of the ReefBase Pacific website (http://pacific.reefbase.org). This is an output of the ReefBase Pacific project a component of the Coral Reef InitiativeS for the Pacific (CRISP, www.crisponline.net), which is working in support of biodiversity conservation, sustainable fisheries and reef-dependent communities in the region. This new online database contains extensive information specifically related to the status, use, management and knowledge of reef resources in the Pacific region. Accessible through this website is a wide range of published and grey literature (including downloadable pdf files), images, spatial information (GIS-maps) and Pacific reef project summaries and project contacts. The website is available in both French and English, and also contains information in a variety of languages spoken in the Pacific.

Please take some time to explore the content of the website and databases. One of the useful sections of this site, which has specific relevance to our activities for the IYOR is the ReefBase Pacific Education Center - this is a virtual resource center providing easy access to materials that support reef related education and outreach activities. These have been developed by various organisations and projects working in the region with the aim of mobilizing important information in a non-technical form to communities, school groups and the general public. Sharing such resources through the ReefBase Pacific Education Center will help to ensure that important information can be widely dispersed to support reef education within the Pacific and beyond.

As part of our activities and awareness raising for IYOR we encourage contributions of relevant resources to this collection . Please contact reefbase@cgiar.org or the project coordinator Pip Cohen p.cohen@cgiar.org.
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4th awareness meeting

Gulf of Mannar, India

The 4th coral awareness meeting was held in Inigo Nager coastal village of Tuticorin district on 21st September at 6 PM. Inigo Nager fishing village is located very near to the shore area of Tuticorin. Mr. Raja, Lecturer at SDMRI gave a talk about the International Year of the Reef, and the importance of raising awareness among coastal people about the conservation of marine resources especially coral reefs.

Bird's-eye view of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park launched today

A bird's-eye view of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is now possible, thanks to innovative online mapping technology officially launched today (Wednesday 1 October). This is the first time maps of the Marine Park are available through online mapping service Google Maps, enabling internet users worldwide to dive deeper into this great natural icon with just the click of a button.
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11th International Coral Reef Symposium: Call to Action

Sign the call!!

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. The purpose of the call is to encourage bold and urgent steps to ensure that reefs will survive. In this way you can lend your support and show your engagement for coral reef conservation. We are hoping for hundreds of thousands of signatures to galvanize local, regional, national, and global action. The call has already been signed by the 11th ICRS Local Organizing Committee, Super Chairs of the Mini-Symposia, the President and Council of the International Society for Reef Studies, the Regional Director of the Southeastern National Marine Sanctuary Program, the coordinator the International Year of the Reef, and many others.
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Issue No3 of "Reef Talk", August 2008

Pacific Year of the Reef

The third issue of the Pacific Year of the Reef (PYOR) newsletter is now available. For more information about PYOR, visit http://www.sprep.org/pyor/
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Micro-grants to Help Students in Hawai‘i Define the Environment of Their Future

Proposal Deadline: Friday October 3, 2008 4:30PM

The students of Hawai‘i are the stewards of the future and of today. They deserve to be involved in decisions that will define the environment of their adulthood and should have the opportunity to be actively involved in stewarding the land and the sea. And so, the International Year of the Reef Campaign Hawai‘i is offering micro-grants for students with a coral reef conservation service learning project. Funding is provided by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and Tesoro. The project should be a service learning project - students should actively provide a direct service to their ecosystem and their community. Preference will be given to projects with measureable impacts to the natural environment.
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The International Year of the Reef 2008 Art Contest: "Celebrate the Reef – Every Act Counts"

All entries must be posted to Project AWARE by October 2nd 2008

You and your students can celebrate the beauty and diversity of amazing coral reefs! A child from your school may even receive a special Coral Reef Ambassador Plaque for winning the International Year of the Reef 2008 contest. But all AWARE Kids ages 3 – 12 are encouraged to grab their paint brushes and crayons and get creative for coral reefs! One first prize winner and two runners up will be chosen from each global region and age group – 3 to 5 yrs, 6 to 8yrs and 9 to 12yrs. Artwork will be judged by official artist for International Year of the Reef, Wyland, and famous marine artist and conservationist Ron Steven and Project AWARE Foundation staff. Selected winners will receive a special Coral Reef Ambassador Plaque along with a certificate and other prizes and recognition globally.
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ICRI-sponsored event on Coral Reef 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 agree 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.

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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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.

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.

Update on the NFWF NOAA IYOR Public Services Announcements

The IYOR PSAs are now broadcasted on several National Television channels. Since July 26^th, 2008, the PSAs in English and Spanish are broadcasted on LA TV (http://www/latv.com). The PSAs are also broadcasted daily at different times and on different Discovery Networks for the next 6 months (http://dsc.discovery.com)

They will also be broadcast very soon on the Green TV (http://www.green.tv) and be available on Vringo (http://www.vringo.com then choose "Our world" and then "Going green"). Vringo is a video sharing community which allows you to find and create video ringtones (or Vringos) and then share them with your friends -- all on your phone. You choose the clips you'd like your friends to see and they choose the clips they'd like you to see. Vringo clips are from the best of movies, TV and music, or created by you, either online or on your phone.

Lastly, From August 15 to 21, the main IYOR PSA will be screened before each film at AMC Loews Georgetown Movie Theater (Washington, DC).

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.

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.

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.

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

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).

World Water Monitring 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. The World Water Monitoring Day encourages participation from Low- and Middle-Income countries through the donation of monitoring kits. For more information, please contact wwmd@wef.org

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.

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.
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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.