The 12th International Coral Reef Symposium, the world's leading coral reef science conference held once every four years, will begin Monday, July 9, in Cairns, Australia with the CTI-CFF taking center stage  as the model for linking science to policy and action.

There will be four scientific mini-symposia that will focus on the Coral Triangle and will tackle the following topics: marine protected area management; regional scale design and local scale actions for marine conservation; coral bleaching and science to policy efforts. Another session on economic valuation and market based conservation will also feature some presentations from the CTI-CFF.

The CTI-CFF Secretariat  will also host an Idea Market Place booth where Coral Triangle member countries can present their research ideas and pitch them to the scientists attending the conference and vice versa. The Market Place will also have daily brownbag lunches to discuss the most recent scientific studies in the Coral Triangle, such as the State of the Coral Triangle Reports and the Reefs at Risk in the Coral Triangle Reports as well as multi-media presentations. There will also be a Coral Triangle Book signing activity.

Prior to the conference, there will be a pre-meeting on July 7 entitled “Science and Governance in the Center of Global Marine Biodiversity: The State of the Coral Triangle Reports” while a media mixer and mini forum will also be held on the Coral Triangle and Food Security.

For more information on the schedule of CTI-CFF events at the ICRS, follow this link.