In response to the ongoing fourth global coral bleaching event, now the most extensive on historical record affecting more than 75% of coral reefs worldwide, a Special Emergency Session on Coral Reefs will be convened within the margins of the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Cali, Colombia.
Convened by H.E. Ambassador Peter Thomson, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean; the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI); and the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR), representatives of coral states, leaders in coral reef action and globally renowned scientists will take the stage during this COP16 Emergency Special Session on Coral Reefs to:
- Present the most up-to-date scientific analysis regarding the state of coral reefs and the fourth mass global bleaching event;
- Deliver clear action points, integrated strategies and scalable resilience initiatives offering the best chances of thwarting functional extinction, including efforts to protect climate refugia; and
- Outline critical paths for public and private leaders to scale up transformative conservation action to avert functional extinction.
The session will convene state and private sector representatives, as well as members of the press in the Large Blue Zone Official COP16 Side Event Room (Subnational & LocaL Governments Room, Plaza One) on 30 October 2024, from 16:30-17:50 COT.
The well-being of an estimated twenty-five percent of all marine life and more than one billion people, including vulnerable coastal communities, depend on healthy coral reefs. Their essential ecosystem services underpin food security, coastal protection, and livelihoods for many of the most climate-vulnerable nations on Earth. Yet, the functional existence of these critical ecosystems is on the brink.
Although corals can survive bleaching events, the stress and impacts increase the chances for mortality and reduce reproductive rates. However, scientific studies reveal that interventions addressing local threats facing reefs can support greater resilience, including bleaching recovery. With the window for protecting this Earth system is closing rapidly, integrated strategies to support resilience and avert ecosystem function collapse must urgently be scaled up #ForCoral.
