United Nations delegation here to support International Year of The Reef
The Fijian Government and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Pacific will stage events to support International Year of the Reef (IYOR) this year.
Today there will be a symposium at Koro Sun Resort and Spa near Savusavu.
Tomorrow there will be a dive expedition at Nukubati, in Macuata province, situated alongside a section of Fiji’s Great Sea Reef (GSR). A United Nations delegation including Peter Thomson and high level Government representatives are expected to be part of these events.
The Uto Ni Yalo Trust is also part of the IYOR 2018 and will be docking at Nukubati.
In a recent statement WWF said the call for action any that ‘inaction and business-as-usual is no longer possible’ resonates with WWF’s vision that by 2025 the Great Sea Reef and coastal ecosystems are healthy and resilient to a changing climate, supporting sustainable business, inclusive livelihoods, food security and community wellbeing.
It further explained that to be able to achieve that vision, the people of Fiji cannot continue to conduct business-as-usual and inaction is not an option. Meanwhile, UN Special Envoy for Oceans- Peter Thomson will be launching the 2018 IYOR in Fiji with Erik Solheim, head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and Lisa Svensson, Global Director for Oceans, at the Nukubati Island Resort in Macuata.
International Year of the Reef began in 1997, the year of the worst coral bleaching recorded up to that date.
Globally, around 225 organisations in 50 countries and territories participated.
The event generated more than 700 articles, and scientists performed hundreds of surveys.
IYOR 1997 increased awareness and understanding of the values and threats to coral reefs, and influenced conservation-related research and management efforts. The second IYOR took place in 2008.
There were more than 630 events and two-thirds of the countries and territories that contain shallow-water coral reefs participated.
The IYOR 2008 campaign strengthened global awareness of the ecological, economic, social, and cultural value of coral reefs and the threats facing them.
It brought attention to coral reefs as a source of livelihood, coastal protection, and income to over 500 million people around the world.
The previous IYORs shone a spotlight on coral-reef conservation globally.
The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) declared 2018 as the third International Year of the Reef to help bring the informed opinions of global scientific leaders to policy-makers worldwide, demonstrating that inaction and business-as-usual is no longer possible.