Resilient Coastal Community Fund

If we don’t act now, we will see the disappearance of coral reefs in our lifetime.

Our researchers are working to understand and conserve the world's rapidly deteriorating coral reefs in the challenge of climate change. Coastal communities in many parts of the world rely on reefs for food and livelihoods but are often overstretched in managing and conserving them.

With a donation to the Resilient Coastal Community Fund, you will enable vital training of reef champions in these communities.

The training package is based on a suite of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) designed in partnership between UQ’s School of the Environment, the Coral Reef Rescue Initiative (CRRI) and WWF Australia , and funded jointly by the CRRI and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

By contributing to this fund you will be enabling people to develop an understanding of their coral reefs and to join this vibrant community of solution builders. Together, we can help to ensure the future health and resilience of the world's marine ecosystems and the millions of people who rely on them.

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About the MOOC

In collaboration with edX, UQ has developed the MOOC Coral Reefs: Introduction to Challenges and Solutions, designed to support governments and communities in fostering the resilience of coastal communities.

Each MOOC will provide learners with access to global experts and practitioners in the field, and will cover a wide range of critically important topics including:

how coral reefs function
local and global threats to coral reef ecosystems
conservation and management solutions across different locations and at different scales
gender transformative approaches to transforming coral reef social- ecological systems
evidence based decision making for coral reef conservation and management
satellite remote sensing and coral reef monitoring
and many other important topics.

Find out more

In this video, UQ's Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg explains how the course offers an accessible introduction to the science of coral reef ecosystems, their threats, and the challenges posed to nearby coastal communities:

YouTube, 2m:22s

About the CRRI

The Coral Reef Rescue Initiative (CRRI) is a global program, established to protect and regenerate the world’s rapidly degrading tropical coral reefs for the benefit of people through nature-based solutions.

Lead by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the CRRI is composed of scientists, NGOs, influential partners and in-country experts, working in collaboration with governments and communities to safeguard reefs, food security and livelihoods against climate change.

CRRI have identified seven countries with resilient reefs, chosen for their potential to survive in a warming ocean and withstand the threats of climate change (Fiji, Solomon Islands, Indonesia, Philippines, Tanzania, Madagascar, Cuba).

In all seven countries, our partners have a longstanding relationship with local communities and different levels of government. By combining knowledge and expertise, building on tried-and-tested interventions as well as the latest science and emerging innovations, we work with communities to develop integrated nature-based solutions that can be widely replicated and scaled up.

CRRI conservation, science and development partners include: WWF, Blue Ventures, CARE International, Rare, The University of Queensland, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Allen Coral Atlas (Arizonia State University Centre for Global Discovery and Conservastion Science.

Resilient Coastal Community Fund

About the MOOC

About the CRRI

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