July, 2021 Organized under the auspices of the International Coral Reef Symposium 2021 by Future Earth Coasts , and partners including the International Coral Reef Society, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, United Nations Environment Programme, International Coral Reef Initiative, Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, and Kellner & Stoll Foundation for Climate and Environment, announces the release of the report: Knowlton N, Grottoli AG, Kleypas J, Obura D, Corcoran E, de Goeij J, Felis T, Harding S, Mayfield A, Miller M, Osuka K, Peixoto R, Randall CJ, Voolstra CR, Wells S, Wild C, Ferse S. 2021. Rebuilding Coral Reefs: A Decadal Grand Challenge. International Coral Reef Society and Future Earth Coasts, 56 pp. https://doi.org/10.53642/NRKY9386 Links to full report, summaries, and COP26 Flyer: Full Report: ICRS_2021_Policy_Brief_high_resol, ICRS_2021_Policy_Brief_low_resol Press Release: ENGLISH, GERMAN, SPANISH, PORTUGUESE NEW: ICRS highlighted the report findings at the COP26 in Glasgow (Oct 31 – Nov 12, 2021). The flyers are available in ENGLISH, SPANISH, PORTUGUESE, FRENCH, ITALIAN, and ARABIC. See the ICRS COP26 page for more information. Abstract: This document is the work of a team assembled by the International Coral Reef Society (ICRS), whose mission is to promote the acquisition and dissemination of scientific knowledge to secure the future of coral reefs, including via relevant policy frameworks and decision-making processes. This document seeks to highlight the urgency of taking action to conserve and restore reefs through protection and management measures, to provide a summary of the most relevant and recent natural and social science that provides guidance on these tasks, and to highlight implications of these findings for the numerous discussions and negotiations taking place at the global level. Coral reefs provide ecosystem services and direct economic benefits for 100s of millions of people across more than one hundred countries worldwide. However, throughout the past few decades, reefs have been severely degraded by a variety of anthropogenic stressors. Reef degradation is due to threats associated with human activities both local (e.g. overfishing and pollution) and global (i.e. ocean warming and acidification due to rising greenhouse gas emissions). The future of coral reefs now hangs in the balance. The coming year and decade likely offer the last chance to change the trajectory of coral reefs from one towards world-wide collapse to one towards slow but steady recovery. Changing the trajectory requires international, regional, national, and local entities to work together. The mission of International Coral Reef Society (ICRS) is to promote the acquisition and dissemination of scientific knowledge to secure coral reefs for future generations, and includes informing policies that protect coral reefs. The ICRS thus assembled a writing team, lead by Dr. Nancy Knowlton, to (1) summarize the science regarding the current state of coral reefs, and (2) outline the actions and policies needed to conserve and restore reefs through this century. The outcome of this work is Rebuilding Coral Reefs: A Decadal Grand Challenge. This report provides the stark realities of the threats facing coral reefs, and clear guidance for the numerous discussions and negotiations taking place at the global level.
Rebuilding Coral Reefs: A Decadal Grand Challenge
Executive Summary: ENGLISH, SPANISH, PORTUGUESE, GERMAN, INDONESIAN, FRENCH, ARABIC, CHINESE
Recording of policy event: https://youtu.be/Hbqqfp6yH9M
Additional Details
Title:
Rebuilding Coral Reefs: A Decadal Grand Challenge
Date:
July 2021
Lead Author:
Nancy Knowlton, Smithsonian Institution, USA
Contributing Authors:
Emily Corcoran, Independent Consultant, Sweden
Thomas Felis, University of Bremen, Germany
Sebastian Ferse, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Germany / University of Bremen, Germany
Jasper de Goeij, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Andréa G. Grottoli, ICRS / Ohio State University, USA
Simon P. Harding, The University of the South Pacific, Fiji
Joan Kleypas, National Center for Atmospheric Research, USA
Anderson B. Mayfield, University of Miami, USA / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, USA
Margaret W. Miller, SECORE International, USA
David Obura, CORDIO East Africa, Kenya
Kennedy E. Osuka, CORDIO East Africa, Kenya / University of York, UK
Raquel S. Peixoto, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia
Carly J. Randall, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Australia
Christian R. Voolstra, University of Konstanz, Germany
Sue Wells, ICRS Conservation Committee, UK
Christian Wild, University of Bremen, Germany
Suggested Citation:
Knowlton N, Grottoli AG, Kleypas J, Obura D, Corcoran E, de Goeij J, Felis T, Harding S, Mayfield A, Miller M, Osuka K, Peixoto R, Randall CJ, Voolstra CR, Wells S, Wild C, Ferse S. 2021. Rebuilding Coral Reefs: A Decadal Grand Challenge. International Coral Reef Society and Future Earth Coasts, 56 pp. https://doi.org/10.53642/NRKY9386
Copyright Information:
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