Global Reef Expedition Webinar: Coral Reefs in the South Pacific

Coral Reefs in the South Pacific: Outlook from the Global Reef Expedition

The Pacific Ocean is home to around 27% of the world’s corals, spread out over vast areas. The remoteness of reefs and capacity constraints present unique challenges for Pacific States to gather scientific information.

The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation completed one of the largest coral reef studies in history: the Global Reef Expedition. Over the course of 10 years, the Expedition circumnavigated the globe aboard, surveying some of the most remote reefs on the planet.

Between 2012 and 2015 the Global Reef Expedition surveyed and mapped reefs in the Pacific Islands Region. Coral reef experts from around the world were joined by researchers from the region to conduct extensive coral, benthic and fish surveys. The results of this work represent a huge contribution to understanding of coral reefs in the region.

This Webinar will share the findings of this voyage in the Pacific Region, both wonderful and disturbing.

Both SPREP and KSLOF have endorsed Actions under the IOC Decade for Ocean Science. This webinar will provide a platform to explore science needs for the Pacific and to form future collaborations.

Agenda

Opening remarks from SPREP

Introduction to the Khaled Bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation and to the Global Reef Expedition

State of the Corals and Reef Fish in the South Pacific

Comparison of reefs in the South Pacific to reefs in the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean

KSLOF resources available to use for conservation

Q&A – Discussion

Registration

We are holing the webinar from 11:00am – 12:30pm Western Samoa Time (UTC+13) on August 18, 2022, (which is 6:00pm – 7:30pm ET on August 17th, 2022). The webinar will be held in English, with French interpretation provided. For those who can not attend in person, the webinar will be recorded and made available online.

If you are interested in joining us for this online event, register here:

From Dialogue to Action: Ocean Foundations Gather in Stockholm

What can philanthropy accomplish when foundations working across ocean science, conservation, and sustainable development come together around a shared purpose?

That question was at the heart of the 6th UN Ocean Decade Foundations Dialogue, held September 7–9 in Stockholm, Sweden. The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation joined philanthropic organizations from around the world for three days of discussion, collaboration, and planning focused on accelerating progress during the second half of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

Facilitated by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the UN Ocean Decade Foundations Dialogue is a growing network of more than 30 philanthropic organizations committed to advancing ocean science, collaboration, and action. Since its creation within the framework of the Ocean Decade, the Dialogue has provided foundations with a space to exchange ideas, develop partnerships, and explore how philanthropy can help advance a healthy and resilient ocean.

Hosted by the Voice of the Ocean Foundation (VOTO), this year’s gathering began with From Depth to Action, an Opening Forum that brought nearly 100 leaders from the Swedish and international ocean community together at…

Meet IFAN: Helping Bring Navigate with Care to the Next Generation

If you’ve ever seen a lighthouse flashing from the shore or a brightly colored buoy bobbing in the water, you’ve seen Aids to Navigation at work.

Aids to Navigation, often called AtoNs, help mariners navigate safely. They can mark channels, warn of hazards, help vessels determine their position, and provide other information people need to make safe decisions on the water. Around the world, these systems help guide everything from small recreational boats to large commercial or container ships.

But safe navigation isn’t only about protecting vessels and the people aboard them. The choices mariners make can also affect the animals and ecosystems beneath and around them.

That connection between maritime safety and ocean conservation is at the heart of this year’s Science Without Borders® Challenge—and of our partnership with this year’s theme sponsor, the International Foundation for Aids to Navigation (IFAN).