Key Policy Asks for Coral Reefs – 2025: Accelerating the decade of action #ForCoral

As the world stands at the precipice of critical oceanic milestones, 2025 is a defining year for the future of the ocean. With several major ocean events on the horizon, such as the 10^th Our Ocean Conference and the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3), this year stands as a crucial turning point in the global effort to protect the health of the ocean. It also marks the halfway point in our journey toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), presenting a critical opportunity to accelerate action for ocean sustainability.

Recognising that 16 out of 23 GBF Targets are considered highly relevant to coral reefs, it is imperative that the global community prioritise coral reefs in ocean policy discussions and decision-making under aligned and consistent messaging. To achieve SDG 14: Life below water, urgent and decisive action is required to address the primary drivers of coral reef decline, alongside effective conservation, and sustainable management strategies. These efforts must not only halt further degradation but also build the foundation for long-term ecological health and socio-economic resilience.

All activities outlined in the key policy asks for coral reefs will take in to consideration Target 22 of the Kunming-Montreal Global biodiversity Framework (GBF), to ensure the full, equitable, inclusive, effective and gender-responsive representation and participation in decision-making, and access to justice and information related to biodiversity by indigenous peoples and local communities, respecting their cultures and their rights over lands, territories, resources, and traditional knowledge, as well as by women and girls, children and youth, and persons with disabilities and ensure the full protection of environmental human rights defenders.

The Key Policy Asks for Coral Reefs can be downloaded below as a standard document or graphically designed format, with each policy asks graphically represented with an infographic. Each policy ask infographic is also available for download (.pdf).

The high resolution versions are available upon request.