With the increased awareness of the vulnerability of coral reefs and the vital role that they play in supporting nature and people, there is an urgent need to build coral reef resilience into marine conservation efforts globally, including in global policy frameworks.

In 2019, the ad hoc Committee on Resilience-based Management conducted a survey seeking information about ICRI members’ needs around RBM. A key result of the survey was that 69% of participants identified that a lack of understanding of RBM was a barrier to implementation. Recognising the need to address this knowledge gap, the Committee developed a Policy Brief and animation to provide guidance for decision makers on what they could do to support RBM from a policy perspective.

This briefing is intended to de-mystify RBM and support decision makers to prioritize actions that build reef resilience and deliver on global biodiversity and sustainability commitments

Policies and Plans:

List of major policies and plans to support RBM implementation

• GBRMPA Blueprint for Resilience
• NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program Strategic Plan
• Resilient Reefs Ningaloo
• Guam Resilience Strategy

Other Relevant Resources:

• UN Environment Coral Bleaching Futures – downscaled projections of bleaching conditions for the world’s coral reefs, implications of climate policy and management responses.
  • UNEP Projections of Future Coral Bleaching Conditions using IPCC CMIP6 models: https://www.unep.org/resources/report/projections-future-coral-bleaching-conditions-using-ipcc-cmip6-models-climate
• UN Environment Guide to Assessing Coral Reef Resilience
• UNEP Coral Reef Restoration Guide: https://www.unep.org/resources/report/coral-reef-restoration-guide-coral-restoration-method
• Link to UNEP Coral Reef work: https://www.unep.org/explore-topics/oceans-seas/what-we-do/protecting-coral-reefs
• Resilient Reefs overview
• Reef Resilience Network: https://www.reefresilience.org/
• ICRI Restoration Hub