The Nature Conservancy, with support from the Reef Resilience Network and NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program, is pleased to announce a webinar on engaging the tourism sector in reef restoration.
Coral reefs annually provide US$36 billion in economic value to the world. This includes diving, snorkeling, and other reef recreation activities, but it also includes activities that are made possible by coral reef ecosystems, like eating local seafood and relaxing on beaches that are protected from shoreline erosion. The Nature Conservancy’s Mapping Ocean Wealth initiative and partners found that more than 70 countries and territories across the world have million-dollar reefs—reefs that generate more than one million dollars per square kilometer (Coral Reef Tourism: Data Highlights Conservation Opportunity for Industry). Efforts to conserve coral reefs consequentially support the communities who rely on them. The field of coral restoration has evolved rapidly in the past few decades to combat the loss of coral cover. Research has shown that coral reefs have exceptionally high tourism values and travelers have greater desires to seek more sustainable tourism options. Restoration practitioners therefore have a unique opportunity to engage the tourism sector to achieve conservation objectives.
In this webinar, experts will discuss the benefits and challenges of working with the tourism sector and provide advice based on their work in Australia, Thailand, and the Bahamas. Topics will include education, sustainable funding, and creating marketable experiences. The presentations will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the speakers, and a recording will be made available on the Reef Resilience Network YouTube channel.
Date & Time
June 27, 2023, 4.30 pm-5.30 pm EAT
Register here:
Speakers:
- Dr. David Suggett – Chief Scientist of KAUST Reefscape Restoration Initiative; Co-Founder of Coral Nurture Program
- Hayley-Jo Carr – Reef Rescue Network Director
- Nathan Cook – International Reef Restoration Practitioner
This webinar is co-hosted by the Coral Restoration Consortium’s Field-based Propagation Working Group and the Reef Resilience Network.
