IMPACT
GLOBAL CONSERVATION STRATEGY DEVELOPED & DEPLOYED by
The Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform – CORDAP – was launched in 2020 by the G20 to fast-track research and development (R&D) solutions to save the world’s corals.
In order to void the loss of corals and secure a future for these key marine habitats even in the face of continuing climate change, we must accelerate the delivery of the best science and technology and develop next-generation solutions.
CORDAP brings together the best minds worldwide, in a transdisciplinary approach, to accelerate international research and development to supply the technologies and innovations required to secure a future for corals and reefs.
CORDAP will support scientific projects, selected through global, targeted calls for proposals and reviewed by independent experts. CORDAP’s selection process will follow best-practice, streamlined procedures for project preparation and selection.
As an implementation vehicle for the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and Sustainable Development Goal 14, Life Below Water, the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) Coalition is enhancing the resilience of coastal reef ecosystems, communities and economies by unlocking new public and private resources that accelerate sustainable businesses and financial solutions. Hosting both a Grant Fund and an Investment Fund, the GFCR resilience-focused portfolio includes market-based solutions spanning 23 countries, including waste treatment and recycling, coral reef insurance, sustainable aquaculture and agriculture, ecotourism, blue carbon credits, and mechanisms for sustainable Marine Protected Area (MPAs) finance.
With capitalisation underway, by 2030 GFCR aims to support over 400 reef positive businesses and sustainable financial mechanisms; the resilience of over 20 million community members and 3 million hectares of coral reefs (representing 20% of the Coral Reef Breakthrough target); and the sustainable financing of 7.5 million hectares of MPAs. GFCR’s investments will aim to leverage $2-3 billion USD in public and private finance for the benefit of marine ecosystems and coastal communities.
The GFCR Coalition is a public-private partnership driven by more than 50 Member States, UN Agencies, financial institutions, philanthropies, impact investors, and conservation organisations.
The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) is a global partnership between Nations and organizations which strives to preserve coral reefs and related ecosystems around the world.
ICRI emerged out of the recognition that coral reefs and related ecosystems found in tropical and sub-tropical regions are facing serious degradation, primarily due to anthropogenic stresses. Many nations face similar threats to coral reefs and related ecosystems as well as similar management problems.
The Initiative was founded in 1994 by eight governments: Australia, France, Japan, Jamaica, the Philippines, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. It was announced at the First Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity in December 1994, and at the high level segment of the Intersessional Meeting of the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development in April 1995. ICRI now counts over 100 members.
A snapshot of projects making an impact around the world.
PROJECTS
Using AI and Robotic Boats to Advance Community-Led Reef Restoration Efforts
This project has developed a system which can improve larval production efficiencies by 40% and will now apply this approach in the Maldives.
Improving Coral Reef Restoration and Disease Mitigation in the Caribbean Through Local Capacity Building
In response to the spread of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), a disease that is deadly to coral, this project addresses two key problems. Firstly, how to approach the dramatic and devastating loss of corals from SCTLD, especially in highly susceptible species that are at risk of functional extinction and which are not normally included in current restoration activities.
Floating Fluorometers and Heat Tolerant Algae
The project aims to field-test an innovative optical method, namely a submersible fluorometer that monitors fluorescence, to characterize the thermal stress tolerance of the symbiotic algae which live inside corals.
Identifying Heat-Resistant coral
Many corals are currently dying from climate change-related stressors, and unfortunately, if these corals are replanted as part of restoration efforts, they will likely die again in the subsequent heatwave.
Editing Genes to Build More Resilient Corals
Having developed the technology to trigger mass coral spawning events in aquaria, the project team is working out how to edit the genomes of the eggs released during spawning in order to give them a better chance of survival.
Improving the Health, Growth and Survival of Young Corals
Declining coral abundance has led to lower rates of successful reproduction, which prevents reefs from producing new, genetically varied corals and exacerbates reef degradation.
Ramping Up Coral Breeding in the Caribbean
Most coral rehabilitation or restoration efforts in the Caribbean have focused on asexual propagation, or transplantation of coral tissue from Acroporids (often known as staghorn corals). Finding ways to integrate this kind of coral breeding alongside sexual reproduction of corals and optimising current techniques, making them more cost-effective for countries with limited resources, is necessary to repopulate reefs and to help increase their genetic diversity.