Latest News

Bad Neighbors Wins Film Festival Award

International Year of the Reef Hawai'i

International Year of the Reef - Hawai'i campaign's public service announcement, "Bad Neighbors" wins first place at the Hawai'i Ocean Film Festival in the marine resources short category. This public service announcement was created by Malama Hawai'i, with funding from the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, support from the state Division of Aquatic Resources and The Nature Conservancy, and generous pro-bono work for the International Year of the Reef Hawai'i campaign.

IYOR DEMA Sponsored Seminar

Las Vegas, Nevada October 22-25

The DEMA Show is the only international trade-only event for the diving, action water sports and adventure travel industries. More than 11,500 professionals will gather in Las Vegas, Nevada October 22-25 to combine business, pleasure, education and diving and discover the treasure of DEMA Show. Beyond the exhibit floor, DEMA Show also provides excellent educational programming and events for industry professionals. This year, in celebration of the International Year of the Reef, the show organizers sponsored and facilitated the organization of a "DEMA Sponsored Seminar" on coral reef to be held on the 24th. This will give the opportunity to the IYOR coordinator the present the Year of the Reef to a large and new audience.

11th International Coral Reef Symposium - Outcomes overview

July 7-11, 2008

International Coral reef Symposium is that the news for coral reef ecosystems is far from encouraging. Climate change is now much faster than in an ice-age transition, and coral reefs continue to suffer fever-high temperatures as well as sour ocean conditions. Corals may be falling behind, and there appears to be no special silver bullet remedy. Nevertheless, there are hopeful signs that we should not despair.

Update on the NFWF NOAA IYOR Public Services Announcements

The IYOR PSAs are now broadcasted on several National Television channels. Since July 26^th, 2008, the PSAs in English and Spanish are broadcasted on LA TV (http://www/latv.com). The PSAs are also broadcasted daily at different times and on different Discovery Networks for the next 6 months (http://dsc.discovery.com)

They will also be broadcast very soon on the Green TV (http://www.green.tv) and be available on Vringo (http://www.vringo.com then choose "Our world" and then "Going green"). Vringo is a video sharing community which allows you to find and create video ringtones (or Vringos) and then share them with your friends -- all on your phone. You choose the clips you'd like your friends to see and they choose the clips they'd like you to see. Vringo clips are from the best of movies, TV and music, or created by you, either online or on your phone.

Lastly, From August 15 to 21, the main IYOR PSA will be screened before each film at AMC Loews Georgetown Movie Theater (Washington, DC).

Reef 4 All donations program

SeaQuest Marine is proud to partner with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) to help raise awareness to the threats facing our coral reefs. To show our commitment to coral reef conservation, SeaQuest Marine has created the Reef 4 All donations program. As part of the Reef 4 All program, SeaQuest Marine will donate 1% of all sales to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to support International Year of the Reef initiatives and Coral Reef Conservation.

Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument Educator Expedition

July 13-24th, 2008

A very unique International Year of the Reef expedition is currently under way in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. A group of educators from across Oceania, cultural practitioners from Hawai'i, traditional resource managers, archaeologists, and two deep-sea researchers from the University of Hawai'i are aboard the NOAA Ship HI'IALAKAI in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Marine and coral reef educators from Palau, Fiji, Marshall Islands, American Samoa, Australia, Kiribas, Cook Islands, and Hawai'i have been selected to participate in this first of its kind expedition, and to share their expertise and experiences helping to promote coral reef conservation. NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is the coordinator of the expedition, and through it they hope to enhance the networks of information sharing among educators in Oceania. The ultimate goal is to learn how we can work together to better protect the coral reefs and marine environments in our island nations, using Papahanaumokuakea and its nearly pristine resources as an inspirational learning environment.

IYOR proclamation in Florida

Broward County Commission proclaims support for International Year of the Reef, recognizes Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative, designates July 7-11, 2008 as "11th International Coral Reef Symposium Week" in Broward County, Florida

Third awareness meeting

Gulf of Mannar, India

The third awareness meeting was held in Thirespuram coastal village (Gulf of Mannar, Tuticorin district) on 19th July at 6.30 PM. Dr. Jamila Patterson gave a talk about the International Year of the Reef, and the importance of conservation of coral reefs for the bright future of the next generation. Mr. Iyyamperumal of the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve Trust (GOMBRT) gave a talk on the role of GOMBRT in coral conservation. Mr. K. Diraviya Raj (PhD student) gave a detailed talk about coral status and the need for conservation. In between the talks, several entertainment programmes (song, drama and dance - related to coral conservation) were performed by the local fisherwomen and also by the school children. The fourth village awareness meeting will be held in Inigo Nager fishing village on September 21st.

Exhibit on French Coral Reefs

Paris, July 4th - September 28th, 2008

In this international year of the coral reefs, the Aquarium of Porte Doree (Paris, France) is holding an exhibit on the French coral reefs. This exhibit will also feature the underwater photographs of Claude Rives, author of a recent book: "France of the tropical seas".
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Reef Talk 2

June

Reef Talk, the quarterly newsletter of the 2008 Pacific Year of the Reef campaign has just been released. You will find stories and updates from most parts of the Pacific. It is available on the PYOR page of the SPREP website.
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11th the International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS)

July 7, 2008

A celebration of the International Year of the Reef 2008 will be held at the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium on Monday the 7th of July 2008.
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2008 Coral Reef Resource Roundup CD

NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program

The 2008 Resource Roundup CD is a collection of coral reefs education and outreach materials created by state and federal agencies as well as non-profit organizations that are part of the Education and Outreach Working Group of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (Task Force).

Awareness meetings in coastal villages in the Gulf of Mannar

Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute

A series of awareness meetings to raise awareness about the importance of coral reefs toward fishermen is being held in the gulf of Mannar. To date, two meetings have been held and more to come.

World Water Monitring Day (WWMD)

September 18, 2008

World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) is pleased to partner with the International Year of the Reef (IYOR) in 2008 in a joint effort to highlight the importance of water quality to marine wildlife. Slight shifts in key water quality indicators such as pH, temperature, turbidity and dissolved oxygen can have a direct impact on where marine organisms live (in this case coral reefs) and whether their populations are able to flourish. Citizens around the globe are encouraged to monitor their oceans in celebration of IYOR this year. The World Water Monitoring Day encourages participation from Low- and Middle-Income countries through the donation of monitoring kits. For more information, please contact wwmd@wef.org

Reef Fest

Rockin' for the reefs!

Reef Fest is a series of music concerts happening in South Florida and beyond to raise money and awareness for coral reef conservation!

Clean Up East Asian Seas Campaign 2008

COBSEA, the UNEP Regional Seas Programme for the East Asian Seas region has just launched its Clean Up East Asian Seas Campaign 2008. The campaign encourages organizations among the COBSEA member countries to register local cleanup activities to the campaign and to report their data. COBSEA member countries are also encouraged using this campaign to promote the International Year of the Reef.

IYOR Fund

in partnership with NFWF

In addition to participating in IYOR events and developing your own activities and events as part of the campaign you can also offer financial support to the IYOR campaign. You can donate directly to the online IYOR Fund. All donations made to the IYOR Fund (administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), a 501(c)3 non-profit conservation organizations) are tax deductible.
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IYOR Creative

www.iyorcreative.com

NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation have worked together to develop a U.S. IYOR Messaging Campaign. 5 Action Messages have been developed into freely downloadable print advertisements. These ads and other similarly branded products are available to all groups planning their IYOR campaigns - the more coral conservation groups who use these ads, the more impact we can expect to have.
In the same time, an IYOR U.S. Public Service Announcement with "Every Act Counts" for theme was developed (by NOAA, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, UrbanArts Institute at Mass College of Art). Several PSAs are now freely available and for some of them broadcast daily on discovery Channel.
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G8 Environment Ministers Meeting 2008

May 24-26, Kobe City, Japan

Minister Ichiro Kamoshita chaired the discussions at the meeting on the 3 main themes: Climate Change, Biodiversity and the 3Rs. The Chair's Summary has been issued as an outcome of the meeting. Also, an agreement has been reached among the G8 countries on the "Kobe Call for Action for Biodiversity" in which the International Year of the Reef is recognized.

OSPAR-IYOR Side Event on "Cold-Water Coral Reefs"

June 25th, 2008 at 6:00 PM

IYOR is not only about tropical coral reefs. An OSPAR-IYOR Side Event on "Cold-Water Coral Reefs" will be held at the Oceanopolis (Brest, France) on June 25th, 2008 at 6:00 PM. This event is sponsored by the French government and the French Marine Protected Areas Agency.
Learn more about the Coral Ecosystems of cold, deep waters.

 
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Bonaire's International Year of the Reef Week

June 21-28, 2008

Sand Dollar Condominium Resort Resort's IYOR week will focus on Bonaire's role as a world leader in marine conservation. The week will feature dives and seminars with Jan and Alexandra Cousteau of EarthEcho International; REEF fish count dives and snorkels with Bonaire's own naturalist Jerry Ligon; interactive workshops with Bryan Dias from the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL); and a parade and food festival in the center of town at Wilhelmina Park.

World Ocean Day

June 8th, 2008

This year's theme was "helping our climate / helping our ocean" with a special focus on coral reefs. Several activities were organized in order to promote the International Year of the Reef.
For more information, about the World Ocean Day, visit: the Ocean Project or World Ocean Network.
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2008 Olympics artist Wyland painted Whaling Wall Mural in celebration of the International Year of the Reef 2008

June 6-14, 2008

Marine life artist and conservation advocate Wyland has slated the city of North Lauderdale for the penultimate mural in his internationally renowned Whaling Wall art project, in celebration of the International Year of the Reef 2008
Earlier this year, on February 27 in Washington, DC, Wyland unveiled a 7-foot by 4-foot canvas made in celebration of the International Year of the Reef 2008.The artist considers it one of his best works to date. Learn More
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Crown-of-Thorn collection day in Zanzibar

June 1, 2008

As part of the activities for the International Year of the Reef in Zanzibar, a one day Crown-Of-Thorns Starfish (COTS) collection day was arranged on three reefs close to Stonetown, Zanzibar. The main purpose of the day was to create media attention in order to increase awareness of the COTS problem and the value of healthy coral reefs.
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International launches

Worldwide

Since the beginning of the year, several national launches and proclamations have happened around the world.
The International Year of the Reef (IYOR 2008) was officially launched on the evening of January 24th, 2008 in Washington DC at a celebration event hosted by The World Bank
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IYOR at the Ninth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 9)

May 26, 2008

The ICRI secretariat, with support from the Convention on Biological Diversity secretariat, held an ICRI-CBD side event on "Marine Biodiversity and the International Year of the Reef".