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Activity and Event Ideas

Here are some suggestions of events and activities that you might like to organise. Please feel free to propose other initiatives not mentioned. A calendar of IYOR 2008 will be available soon.

The stamp created in Malaysia
during IYOR 1997

• Organise and host a special 'Day of the Coral Reef' in 2008 - this could involve a public festival or street parade with a focus on celebrating coral reef. Invite local dignitaries and the media to take part!
• Invite a celebrity who is interested in coral reef to be a IYOR Ambassador. Use their status to increase public awareness of coral reefs.
• Develop a range of IYOR merchandise such as, calendar, T-shirts, caps, or drink holders. Ask if your postal service could produce a IYOR stamp (pictured at right). Use this merchandise as giveaways or as rewards for participation in conservation activities.
• Produce leaflets, brochures, pamphlets, stickers and posters in your native language to educate the public about the value of coral reef.
• Encourage local journalists to write features about issues important to coral reef in the media.
• Organise a coral reef competition (or photo competition) that encourages participation of local school students and the general public.
• Promote the IYOR by linking your web site to the IYOR web site (www.iyor.org) Participate to beach clean up.
• Encourage the next generation to care about coral reefs - organise educational visits to local schools and introduce coral reef biology and conservation into the school curriculum.
• Identify and nominate sites that are important for coral reef in your country, and lobby for their protection.
• Organise a community clean-up day and coral reef survey. Invite local schools to participate.
• Develop a code of practice for sustainable tourism - build relationships with coastal resort developers and tourism authorities and encourage them to ensure that their resorts are 'coral reef'. Offer training for resort staff and develop (or re-print existing) educational material on coral reef for tourists