14 Feb London Conference Catalyzes High Level Support for International Year of the Reefs

Coral Triangle Center (CTC) Executive Director Rili Djohani participated in a high-level meeting in London last February 14, 2018 to kick off the International Year of the Reef (IYOR) and, in the words of The Prince of Wales, help “galvanize a global movement… to catalyse long-lasting initiatives that will increase the resiliency of coral reefs in order that they may survive the threats they face”

At the meeting, which was organized by The Prince of Wales’ International Sustainability Unit , HRH The Prince of Wales delivered an inspirational speech emphasizing that IYOR must catalyse collaboration across sectors to address the coral destruction at scale and strengthen long-term initiatives that can provide platforms for future action such as the Coral Triangle Initiative.

The IYOR workshop brought together marine experts and global organizations to explore how different sectors can work towards helping coral reefs recover from threats such as pollution and climate change. Rili was one of the panel speakers, representing the CTC and highlighted how local communities play a big role in stemming the tide of destruction on our reefs and the need to invest in people, build local capacity and make global data accessible for local governments.