©-Jett-Britnell

ICRI's Creation & History

The creation of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) marked a pivotal moment in global conservation efforts for coral reefs and their associated ecosystems. During the remarks from Tim Worth (Under Secretary of State, U.S Department of State, 1994) at the First Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), on December 7th 1994, it was stated that “Coral reefs serve as natural indicators of the health of coastal zones, have been cited as possible indicators of climate change, and are valued contributors to economies the world over through their contributions to recreation and tourism. Indeed, their biological and economic richness has led many to observe that coral reefs are the rainforests of the ocean.” And in response to pressures placed on coral reefs and prompted by concerns for their future, the International Coral Reef Initiative was established by eight founding Nations – Australia, France, Jamaica, Japan, the Philippines, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

‘One of the most exciting and emerging partnerships is in the area of the conservation and sustainable use of coral reefs.’

– Tim Wirth, Under Secretary of State, U.S Department of State, 1994

ICRIs collaborative endeavour brought together governments, non-governmental organisations, scientists, and stakeholders from around the world to address the urgent threats facing coral reefs. The ICRI Secretariat is hosted by Initiative Members on a voluntary basis and rotates about every two years. Since 2001, the Secretariat has been co-chaired by a developed and a developing country, Philippines, and Sweden (2001 – 2002), United Kingdom and Seychelles (2003-2005), Japan and Palau (2005 – 2007), Mexico and the United States of America (2007 – 2008), France and Samoa (2009 – 2011), Australia and Belize (2012 – 2014), Japan and Thailand (2014 – 2016) and Monaco, Australia and Indonesia (2018 – 2021).

ICRI Actions

The first “ICRI Call to Action” was approved at the ICRI Workshop held in Dumaguete City, The Philippines (on June 2, 1995) and is supported by the “ICRI Framework for Action” to mobilise governments and the wide range of other stakeholders to implement the Call to Action. The 4 elements of the ICRI Call to Action are:

©-Diane-Burko

At the occasion of the first ‘International Tropical Marine Ecosystems management Symposium (ITMEMS), hosted by ICRI in 1998, over 300 delegates from 49 Nations endorsed the contents and message of a “Renewed Call to Action”. The adopted document represented a new global call to action, reflecting the urgency, and need, for action as the world continued to face a decline in the health of coral reefs.

At the 28th ICRI General Meeting in Belize City in 2013, ICRI members adopted the “Continuing Call to Action” and its associated “Framework for Action 2013”. These new documents presented a guide for the ICRI Secretariat and ICRI members to address the continuing and emerging challenges facing the sustainable use of coral reefs and related ecosystems.

Today, ICRI remains a critical mechanism of science to policy, ensuring that policy is guided by the best available science, and is a major player in the global effort to safeguard coral reefs, by advocating for policies that prioritise their protection and resilience in the face of ongoing threats.

Since its inception in 1994, ICRI has been a driving force in the conservation and management of coral reefs worldwide. Over the years, ICRI has evolved to address the changing threats and challenges facing coral reefs, adapting its strategies and initiatives accordingly. In its early years, ICRI focused on raising awareness about the importance of coral reefs, promoting scientific research, and encouraging collaborative action among stakeholders. As the impacts of climate change, pollution, overfishing, and other stressors intensified, ICRI expanded its efforts to include ecosystem-based management approaches, capacity building in vulnerable regions, and the development of resilience strategies. Through various meetings, conferences, and working groups, ICRI has facilitated international cooperation, knowledge exchange, and the implementation of innovative conservation measures.

ICRI in numbers

0

The year ICRI was formed

0

Previous Secretariats

0

Founding countries

0

Members

0

Country members

0

% of the world's coral reefs represented

ICRI in numbers

The year ICRI was formed
0
Previous Secretariats
0
Founding countries
0
Members
0
Country members
0
% of the world's coral reefs represented
0

ICRI Members

ICRI Members include a mix of governments, non-governmental organisations, and international organisations as well as Philanthropic organisations and the private industry. ICRI counts 45 countries covering 75% of the world’s coral reefs.

Map of ICRI’s 45 country members including ICRI’s 8 founding countries

The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN)

The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) is an operational network of ICRI that was established in 1995, aiming to provide the best available scientific information on the status and trends of coral reef ecosystems for their conservation and management. The GCRMN is a global network of scientists, managers and organisations that monitor the condition of coral reefs throughout the world, operating through 10 regional nodes, the engine rooms of the network.

 The GCRMN has published an extensive range of global, regional, and thematic reports on coral reef status and trends. The GCRMN collates and presents coral reef data, aggregating from national to regional levels, and then to a global level. The flagship product of the GCRMN is the Status of Coral Reefs of the World report that describes the status and trends of coral reefs worldwide. The sixth and latest edition was published in 2021, presenting the status and trends of coral reefs on a global scale from 1978 – 2019 and covers:

The GCRMN has three primary goals, with capacity building as a fourth, overarching priority:

Goal 1

To improve the understanding of coral reef status and trends, globally and regionally

Goal 2

To analyse and communicate coral reef biophysical, social, and economic trends, providing science-based recommendations in support of raising awareness, management and policy development

Goal 3

To Enable and facilitate greater utilisation of coral reef data including research

Goal 4

To build human and technical capacity to collect, analyse and report biophysical and socio-economic data on coral reefs

The GCRMN is a critical mechanism of ICRI, and the wider global coral reef community, and serves to support Nations in the implementation of the national, regional and international commitments including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in December 2022. GCRMN is hosted by the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences (AIMS).