Communication Examples
Fishers presenting their suggested park zoning scenarios at a workshop focused improving information exchange. Photo © S. Wear/TNC
This section introduces different communication techniques that have been successful in outreach campaigns dedicated to coral reefs. Those responsible for the outreach and education of reef health and resilience often need to be creative and innovative when garnering support from different audiences. Whether dealing with school children, the media, industry or academics, there needs to be a well-planned outreach campaign or tool tailored to your specific audience. Outreach and communication techniques greatly influence the success of the initiative to increase coral reef awareness. For example, when stakeholders support and engage in their reef, it is more likely an MPA will be effective for protecting biodiversity.
Several creative communication campaigns that focus on some aspect of coral reef health can be used as reference. This section of the toolkit focuses on innovative campaigns from Kimbe Bay, Guam and the Great Barrier Reef. In addition to the examples cited here, there are organizations dedicated to communicating about reefs and creating communication campaigns. For example, SeaWeb, RARE, and Hawaii Reefs have extensive resources to help you craft a communication plan.