The Coral Restoration Consortium: building community to rebuild reefs

Coral reef ecosystems are unbearably at risk. The predictions are dire - 99% of corals will die by 2050, under current climate trajectories. With only 1% of corals, the hundred of millions of people that rely on coral reefs do not have a reliable future. Scientists, managers, and local communities are in a race against time and the changing climate to preserve what they can. The Coral Restoration Consortium has been galvanizing the coral restoration community since 2017 by summarizing science and practice into useful guidance and facilitating connections among MPA managers, community groups, scientists, and policy makers. This talk will outline the state of coral restoration writ large - what is being done, what is still left to do, and what are the best ways of doing it. There are enormous challenges - recurrent bleaching, disease, overfishing. Yet significant progress has been made - the scale of reef restoration is increasing, innovative techniques are being replicated throughout the tropics, photographic monitoring is more accessible. Most importantly, incredible personal dedication has been multiplied by hundreds of community-groups across the globe. The people in the coral restoration community are up against daunting predictions; but they have incredible strength and heart. Come and learn the latest about the most resilient and widespread ocean conservation movement on planet earth.