Coral Conservation
“If the coral reefs go, what does that mean for the rest of the ocean, what does that mean for us? But what is amazing is knowing that we have the power to protect what remains, to restore what’s been lost.” – Sylvia Earle
Coral Connections looks to identify and showcase organisations working on coral reef conservation and restoration to bring about real change for the health and diversity of corals and coral reefs and the livelihoods of the people who depend on them.
Any effort to conserve coral reefs is clearly a puzzle with many pieces. Our goal is to highlight effective projects and people, stimulate discussion and dialogue and share information and practice.
Coral reef conservation can take many forms, and what works in one region may not be suitable for another. This section looks at some of the different approaches and methods being applied to this critical conservation priority.
PROTECT
The first and most important step is to protect corals and coral reefs from human impacts where possible. This could take the form of huge Marine Protected Areas in remote and pristine environments, smaller, more local areas managed with the community or various types of conservation agreement governing a particular reef.
Find out more about some of the people and organisations protecting coral reefs
RESTORE
In many areas, particularly those subject to significant human stresses such as overfishing, tourist development, pollution and many others, corals have become degraded, often to the point of dying off altogether. At this point, efforts can be made to restore them, but this is a far from simple process. In this section, we look at the steps involved in successful restoration and highlight projects and initiatives which are having a positive impact in this complex and difficult area.
Find out more about what is involved in successful coral restoration
SCIENCE INTO POLICY & PRACTICE
The 2016 International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) acknowledges that, despite the increase in science and research around corals and coral reefs in recent years, there is still a disconnect between this trend and the increasingly desperate situation for many coral reefs around the world. This section will ask why this is and hear from individuals and organisations finding ways to bridge the science to policy gap.
Find out more about some of the challenges of going from science to policy
COLLABORATION & NETWORKING
Within the scientific community, there generally seems to be consensus about the severity of the situation for coral reefs. While it is clear that there is a huge amount of effective research and practice going on (the ICRS sessions agenda is testament to that), it is also the case that there has never been a more urgent need for those working on the frontline of research and involved in coral reef protection and restoration to share knowledge and collaborate on new initiatives to spread good practice and understand what really works. The time is definitely now.