In October 2017, the Swedish government made a generous financial contribution to the ICRI Secretariat in order to implement the ICRI plan of Action. This contribution was administered by the French Foundation for Research on Biodiversity (FRB).
Under this grant, the following activities, contributing to the different themes, were implemented:
Theme 1: Help raise awareness of how coral reefs and related ecosystems help to fight climate change
- Study on innovative financing mechanisms to protect and preserve coral reefs and related ecosystems.
- Contribution to the analysis of international funding for the sustainable management of coral reefs and associated coastal ecosystems.
- Factsheets on communicating the economic and social importance of coral Reefs for:
- Caribbean countries (PDF File)
- South East Asia (PDF File)
- Indian Ocean (PDF File)
Theme 2: Meet international requirements
- Several side events were organized at major international events to promote the Initiative and its work and to continue to plead for coral reefs and related ecosystems.
Theme 3: Help to reduce human threats to coral reefs and associated mangroves and seagrasses, by making greater use of regulatory tools
- Production of a summary of existing legislative and regulatory mechanisms for the protection of coral reefs and related ecosystems for France (as an example). Download the PDF File.
- Work on ecological mooring
- Impacts of sunscreens on coral reefs: a review of the scientific evidence, discussion of the issues, and recommendations for further research.
Theme 4: Monitor the state of reefs in order to better manage them
- Organisation of 2 workshops related to the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network
- “Hard Coral Cover and Composition” Essential Ocean Variable Workshop, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 3-4 November 2017. Report of the workshop (PDF File)
- GCRMN Pacific workshop for the finalization of the report “Status and Trends of Coral Reefs of the Pacific”, Paris, 26-27 October 2017. Report of the workshop (PDF File).
Theme 5: Progress via education
- Development of a website for the International Year of the Reef (IYOR) 2018: www.iyor2018.org
- Development of a communication strategy for the International Year of the Reef
- Production of communication tools to promote the Year and distribution.
The grant was also used for the day-to-day operation of the ICRI secretariat, including the organization of the 32nd ICRI General Meeting. In addition, within the framework of the ICRI/UN Environment Grants Programme, a compendium highlighting the thirty-two best projects received (among 230) was produced and widely distributed to potential donors.
The ICRI Secretariat is very grateful to the Swedish government and to the French Foundation for Research on Biodiversity (FRB).
The FRB promotes research to preserve, enhance and sustainably use biodiversity. It was created in 2008 by eight public research institutions following the ‘Grenelle de l’environnement’, an initiative of the French ministries of research and ecology. The eight institutions have since been joined by LVMH, INERIS and the University of Montpellier. The unique position of the FRB lies within its role as an interface between the scienti c community, civil society and the business world. To date, more than 235 associations, companies, managers and local communities have collaborated with the FRB to meet its goal: meeting the scientific challenges of biodiversity. The FRB collaborates with the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) to implement the 2016- 2018 ICRI action plan with the aim to transfer knowledge about marine biodiversity. For more information: http://www.fondationbiodiversite.fr/en/
