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Climate change is one of the biggest threats to coral reef ecosystems, and its impacts are already taking effect. Rising sea surface temperatures are killing corals and degrading reef habitat at an alarming rate. Climate predictions show that by 2050, nearly all coral reefs will be threatened by thermal stress.
If coral reefs are to survive into the next generation, we must begin to develop a comprehensive long-term response to climate change. In the short term, however, we must mitigate the effects that rising temperatures are having on these critical ecosystems.
Research has shown that healthy coral reefs—reefs that are not degraded by local stresses like pollution and overfishing—are better able to withstand and recover from the stresses caused by climate change. By implementing targeted management strategies that reduce local threats to reefs, we can build their resilience and help them endure the impacts of this global threat.
Empowering Leaders
CORAL is leading a worldwide training program to build a global network of reef managers who are prepared to respond to climate change. With funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Oceans, Environment, and Science (OES) [4], CORAL is adapting and implementing a reef resilience [5] training curriculum developed by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [6] and The Nature Conservancy [7]. The curriculum trains coral reef managers in adaptive management strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change on reef survival.
From Curriculum to Practice
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| Photo by Jeff Yonover |
Select reef resource managers from coral reef destinations around the world are attending CORAL’s global training sessions. These leaders have agreed to share the skills and knowledge they learn at the trainings with additional coral reef managers and community stakeholders by replicating the workshop in their own countries. This “train-the-trainers” approach is extending the project’s reach and building crucial capacity in coral reef protection and resilience-building programs worldwide.
Initiating Conservation Projects
To ensure that the strategies learned in the trainings are put into practice, CORAL is providing microgrant funding opportunities to kick-start conservation projects that build reef resilience. We are working with training participants to identify the most promising projects in their communities.
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