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 discussed the benefits and challenges of working with the tourism sector and provided advice based on their work in Australia, Thailand, and the Bahamas. Topics included education, sustainable funding, and creating marketable experiences.
Presenters:
- 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 was co-hosted by the Coral Restoration Consortium’s Field-based Propagation Working Group and the Reef Resilience Network.
Resources
- A Manager’s Guide to Coral Reef Restoration Planning and Design
- Coral Reef Restoration Online Course available in English and Spanish
- Coral Restoration Consortium website
- Coral Nurture Program website
- An integrative framework for sustainable reef restoration (Suggett et al. 2023)
- Combined impacts of natural recruitment and active propagation for coral population recovery on the Great Barrier Reef (Roper et al. 2022)
- Adoption of coral propagation and out-planting via the tourism industry to advance site stewardship of the northern Great Barrier Reef (Howlett et al. 2022)
If you do not have access to YouTube, please email us at resilience@tnc.org to access the recording.
