Past Trainings

IN PERSON TRAININGS

Since 2005, the Reef Resilience Network has served as a global leader in building the capacity of marine managers to effectively manage, protect, and restore coral reefs and critical coastal habitats around the world. See descriptions of past trainings below to learn more about the online and hands-on opportunities we have provided.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Strengthening Reef Resilience: Skills & Strategies for Marine Managers Training – New Zealand, 2026

Held in conjunction with the 2026 International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS), the weeklong training was designed to strengthen participants’ management capacity to address climate-related threats to coral reefs through instruction, mentorship, networking, and knowledge exchange. Participants represented government agencies, non-governmental organizations, research institutions, community-based conservation organizations, and protected area management programs from Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Saba, Puerto Rico, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tokelau, Cook Islands, Guam, Hawaiʻi, and the Federated States of Micronesia.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Climate-Resilient Coral Restoration Learning Exchange – Dominican Republic, 2026 

The Belize cohort traveled to the Dominican Republic for an immersive five‑day program that combined hands‑on fieldwork with focused classroom sessions. Throughout the learning exchange, they strengthened their technical skills in restoration planning, deepened their understanding of climate‑resilient approaches, and built stronger collaboration across organizations.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Caribbean Protected Area Management Effectiveness – Jamaica, 2025

Marine managers and practitioners from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and the US Virgin Islands participated in the Caribbean PAME Workshop, which focused on using PAME assessments and monitoring data to evaluate progress toward site outcomes, and more.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Latin America LSMPA Enforcement Peer Learning Exchange – Colombia, 2025

The Network piloted the new MPA Enforcement Online Toolkit with a group of 21 marine managers and enforcement officers from large-scale marine protected areas (LSMPAs) across the Latin America region at an in-person, week-long learning exchange in San Andres, Colombia. Attendees read the online toolkit as a prerequisite for the in-person workshop, learning foundational concepts for monitoring, control, surveillance, and enforcement (MCS&E) systems. 

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Strategic Communication for Reef Conservation Training – Hawai’i, 2025

The Network provided training to 25 marine managers, planners, and other staff from the Hawai’i Division of Aquatic Resources. The participants, representing five islands, learned about strategic communication and strategized how to engage Hawai’i residents in the new community-centered engagement process to shape and inform the management of marine resources through the Holomua Marine Initiative.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Introduction to Climate-Smart Management Planning – Bahamas, 2025

This two-day workshop focused on helping partners in The Bahamas understand climate change threats and impacts, and introducing them to the climate-smart management planning process. The workshop provided participants with an understanding of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Reef Resilience Network’s (RRN) climate-smart planning guide, practical methods for integrating climate considerations into management strategies, and hands-on experience with climate-smart planning tools.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Restoration Capacity Building for Anguilla – Mexico, 2024

During the Reef Futures 2024 Symposium, participants connected with coral restoration practitioners, researchers, and resource managers from around the world to learn how to apply the latest techniques, technologies, and science to their restoration work in Anguilla.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Climate-Smart Management Planning Moriah Harbour Cay & Lucayan National Parks – Bahamas, 2024

In October 2024, 17 marine managers, planners, and administrators from the Bahamas National Trust participated in the Climate Smart Management Planning Moriah Harbour Cay National Park and Lucayan National Park Workshop to focus on completing climate-smart updates to the park management plans. Participants identified key climate change and non-climate threats and impacts that affect priority conservation features in these parks.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Strategic Communication for Reef Conservation Training – American Samoa, 2024

Participants in American Samoa learned about the Network’s strategic communication planning process and reviewed the goals and objectives in the 2019-2024 CRAG Education & Outreach Strategic Communication Plan. They identified potentially new goals, and prioritized the unfinished education and outreach goals and objectives remaining in the plan.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Reef Restoration Workshop – Zanzibar, 2024

In July 2024, The Nature Conservancy in Africa hosted Reef Restoration Initiatives in the Western Indian Ocean for Lesson Sharing, Capacity-building and Networking, a three-day regional workshop on Unguja Island, Zanzibar.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Coral Reef Restoration Mentored Online Course – Kenya, 2024

The Reef Resilience Network and The Nature Conservancy in Africa are working together to scale-up effective coral reef restoration activities in the Western Indian Ocean by building knowledge and skills of the marine managers and practitioners leading this work.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Climate-Smart Management Planning – Bahamas, 2024

RRN provided support to 12 marine managers, planners, and conservation practitioners from the Bahamas National Trust to begin incorporating climate-smart and resilience principles into national park management plans.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Florida Resilience-Based Managment Mentored Course – Virtual, 2023

The Network hosted a mentored version of the Resilience-Based Management Online Course for managers and practitioners in Florida. The objective of the training was to develop a shared understanding of resilience-based management (RBM) for Florida managers and practitioners to support integration of resilience concepts into existing management plans and efforts.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Restoration Mentored Online Course – Zanzibar 2021

A three-month mentored online course for 29 managers, scientists, and community leaders from Tanzania resulted in the second cohort of regional restoration practitioners trained in restoration planning and best practices.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Restoration Mentored Online Course – Kenya, 2020

A two-month mentored online course for 14 managers, practitioners, scientists, and community leaders from Kenya resulted in the first cohort of regional restoration practitioners trained in restoration planning and best practices.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Communication for Corals Workshop – Florida, 2018

The Network partnered with Pew Charitable Trusts & The Ocean Agency to host an interactive workshop to build participants’ understanding of strategic communication and develop and practice messaging skills to motivate action for reef conservation.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Reef Resilience Indicators – Hawai‘i, 2016

During the IUCN World Conservation Congress, twenty-seven marine resource managers, scientists, and practitioners, representing nine countries, attended a half-day workshop to learn how to monitor coral reefs for resilience and use this information to guide management.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Strategic Communications – American Samoa, 2016

A three-day workshop was held in partnership with NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program to help marine conservation and education professionals from eight agencies in American Samoa approach their work strategically.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Resilience-based Management – Philippines, 2016

This training brought together marine managers from 28 countries around the world. Topics included resilience-based management, resilience assessment data, tools and methods, future directions, as well as an overview of the current global-scale coral bleaching event and the tools available for monitoring thermal stress.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Climate Change Tools – Seychelles, 2015

In cooperation with NOAA’s International MPA Capacity Building Program and the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association, we hosted a hands-on training for MPA managers and practitioners.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Coral Reef Resilience – Puerto Rico, 2015

Caribbean managers participated in the 5-day in person workshop focused on using the latest science to improve MPAs as a management tool for fisheries in a changing climate.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Strategic Communications – Florida, 2015

A four-day learning exchange was held in partnership with the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute and NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program to help marine conservation professionals approach their outreach and communications work strategically.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Community-Based Management – Hawai‘i, 2015

Four participants from The Bahamas National Trust and the Abaco Fly Fishing Guides Association visited Hawai‘i to learn about community-based management initiatives across the state, with emphasis on the State of Hawai‘i’s Makai Watch Program.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Scientific Writing – Hawai‘i, 2015

A four-day writing workshop was held for Pacific Island coral reef managers from Hawaiʻi, who received mentorship to improve writing skills and finalize a journal publication for submission.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Strategic Communications – Hawai‘i, 2014

Fourteen practitioners from Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Yap participated in a training on communications, working with the media, and facilitation, focusing on the application to a current project.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Climate Adaptation – Guam, 2014

Thirty managers participated in a workshop on the use of new tools that provide community members and stakeholders with an understanding of climate change and adaptation strategies.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Coral Reef Resilience – USA, 2013

This learning exchange took place at the American Natural History Museum Island Resilience Symposium. The Reef Resilience Program sponsored and supported six presenters at the symposium.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Resilient MPA Networks – Canada, 2011

This learning exchange consisted of two parts: A pre-International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC) workshop with 24 participants that focused on solving problems around MPA network design and implementation and a half-day symposium with 120 attendees.

Map of countries and territories reached with RRN training

Bleaching Response – Florida, 2010

This learning exchange focused on developing bleaching response plans and included 14 coral reef managers from Florida, the Caribbean, and Australia.