The work of the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN and the Status of Coral Reefs of the World 2020 report were presented by GCRMN’s Global Coordinator, Dr David Souter, at a New Colombo Plan (NCP) Momentum event, held at the Australian Institute of Marine Science in Townsville, Australia, on August 5.
The New Colombo Plan is an initiative of the Australian Government which aims to lift knowledge of the Indo-Pacific in Australia by supporting Australian undergraduates to study and undertake internships in the region.
The panel presentation and Q&A event consisted of three panels: International perspectives on climate change, Reef Restoration, and Indigenous Partnerships.
Dr Souter presented results of the Status of Coral Reefs of the World 2020 report to set the scene for the International perspectives on climate change panel, with three key takeaways:
- Climate change is the biggest threat to the world’s coral reefs
- Large-scale climate-related events are increasing in frequency and severity
- Despite the above, coral reefs are still resilient and will recover if we give them a chance by managing local scale disturbances, developing methods to restore reefs and help them adapt, and curbing carbon emissions.
Results from the 2020 report on reef recovery capacity were further supported by findings from the recently released AIMS Long-term monitoring program report.
The event was hosted both in person and online and contributed to the wider dissemination of the results Status of Coral Reefs of the World 2020 report and the promotion of the work of the GCRMN.
A representative from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), an ICRI member, was also in one of the panels.
