ICRI News

The French Tropical Wetlands Network has produced a technical guide on mangrove restoration. The report provides a summary of key elements that should be considered in any mangrove restoration project, based on a review of available literature and practices around the world.

"Mangroves are currently threatened by a host of anthropogenic pressures, including pollution, land take, infilling, aquaculture and urbanisation. A significant proportion of the world’s mangroves have already been lost, including within the French Overseas Territories in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Pacific regions." said Gaelle Vandersarren, who coordinates the network from Guadeloupe. 

Following a collaboration between the World Resources Institute (WRI), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), National Geographic (NGS) and Vulcan Inc. a report entitled Data Needs to Support Decision-making Relevant to Coral Reefs has been produced.

Close to a third of Seychelles’ ocean, an area larger than Germany, will be guarded from climate change and unregulated economic exploitation with new Marine Protection Areas to be announced.

Danny Faure, President of the Republic of Seychelles, confirmed final details of the 13 new Marine Protection Areas covering more than 410,000 sq km (158,000 sq miles). This significant milestone delivers on the world’s first debt refinancing for ocean conservation co-designed by The Nature Conservancy and the Government of Seychelles.

Schools, events and activities in so much of the world have come to a standstill in the wake of COVID-19, with little or no movement recommended. But that does not mean we cannot still enjoy the world and mysteries that abound below and above its surface.

The Ocean Agency, a partner of the United Nations Environment Programme, is inviting parents and their little ones to experience the ocean and its astounding life forms from the comfort of their homes through a little armchair travel.

Sea level rise caused by climate change is the biggest threat to the future of the Maldives. For these small islands, scattered in the middle of the Indian Ocean, the primary defense against sea level rise is the coral reefs that surround them. These diverse ecosystems protect the islands from wave action and storm surges. Yet thanks to human interference, the same reefs that might be able to protect the Maldives are under threat themselves.

While conducting coral reef surveys in the Cook Islands, scientists were shocked to see the ongoing devastating effects of a Crown-of-Thorns-Starfish (COTS) outbreak. On the reefs surrounding the island of Aitutaki, over 80 percent of the live coral community was decimated by these corallivores. But what exactly are COTS?

Under the backdrop of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Conference on Private Finance for Sustainable Development in January, the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) and Blue Finance (BF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to incentivize the adoption of new models for the management of marine protected areas and development of financial mechanism for conservation.

The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (KSLOF) has published their latest findings from the Global Reef Expedition—the largest coral reef survey and mapping expedition in history. Released today, the Global Reef Expedition: Cook Islands Final Report contains critical information on the health and resiliency of coral reef ecosystems in the Cook Islands. It provides scientists, policymakers, and stakeholders with invaluable information they can use to protect and restore these fragile marine ecosystems.

The co-facilitators of the UN Ocean Conference preparatory process announced agreement on the themes for the 2020 Conference. They also announced the dates and times for the first round of informal consultations on the Conference declaration. 

In their letter, co-facilitators Ngedikes Olai Uludong, Permanent Representative of Palau, and Martin Bille Hermann, Permanent Representative of Denmark, informed Member States that the silence procedure on changes to the theme of the third interactive dialogue was not broken, and they therefore have recommended eight themes to the UN General Assembly President.

The themes are:

Hurricane Dorian was the most devastating storm in the modern history of the Bahamas. Based on prior research, as well as assessments of the coral reefs in the affected islands, the Perry Institute for Marine Science is now able to provide a complete report on just how significant the storm was on the state of those reefs.

In the attached report, those findings are shared, as well as recommendations for the recovery of the affected marine systems. While the impact of the storm will be felt on the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama for many years to come, there is hope for recovery.

Original source Perry Institute for Marine Sciences website

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced the release of the 2020 Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Coral Reef Conservation Fund:
https://www.nfwf.org/programs/coral-reefs

This year marks the 20th Anniversary of NFWF’s partnership with NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program to conserve coral reef ecosystems. In 2020, the program will award up to $1.5 million in grant funding to reduce land-based sources of pollution, advance coral reef fisheries management, support recovery and resiliency of U.S. coral reef systems, and improve watershed management planning.

The TUI Care Foundation and The Reef-World Foundation are launching an initiative to help protect coral reefs in the Dominican Republic. The partnership will encourage environmental stewardship by bringing together key members of the community to focus on the protection of these sensitive and fundamental ecosystems. Over 300 people from a variety of local reef-based businesses will receive specialised training on how to work more sustainably. More than 65,000 tourists will receive information on coral reef protection and over 2,000 members of the community will also learn about reef protection through the environmental activities of Youth Ambassadors.