The International Year of the Reef (IYOR) 2018 is open to any individual, organisation, government agency and non-governmental organisation (NGO) that wishes to be involved. The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) and its secretariat welcomes active participation from all. The ICRI will provide overall direction for the IYOR 2018, but activities in each country are to be decided upon, and organised at national and local levels.
Ways to Support and Participate in IYOR 2018
More Ways to Participate in IYOR 2018…
Here are some suggestions of events and activities that you might like to organise. Please feel free to propose other initiatives not mentioned. A calendar of IYOR 2018 can be found here, feel free to submit your event for inclusion.
- Organise and host a special ‘Day of the Coral Reef’ in 2018 – this could involve a public festival or street parade with a focus on celebrating coral reef. Invite local dignitaries and the media to take part!
- Invite a celebrity who is interested in coral reef to be a IYOR Ambassador. Use their status to increase public awareness of coral reefs.
- Develop a range of IYOR merchandise such as, calendar, T-shirts, caps, or drink holders. Ask if your postal service could produce a IYOR stamp (pictured at right). Use this merchandise as giveaways or as rewards for participation in conservation activities.
- Produce leaflets, brochures, pamphlets, stickers and posters in your native language to educate the public about the value of coral reef.
- Encourage local journalists to write features about issues important to coral reef in the media.
- Organise a coral reef competition (or photo competition) that encourages participation of local school students and the general public.
- Promote the IYOR by linking your web site to the IYOR website (www.iyor.org) Participate to beach clean up.
- Encourage the next generation to care about coral reefs – organise educational visits to local schools and introduce coral reef biology and conservation into the school curriculum.
- Identify and nominate sites that are important for coral reef in your country, and lobby for their protection.
- Organise a community clean-up day and coral reef survey. Invite local schools to participate.
- Develop a code of practice for sustainable tourism – build relationships with coastal resort developers and tourism authorities and encourage them to ensure that their resorts are ‘coral reef’. Offer training for resort staff and develop (or re-print existing) educational material on coral reef for tourists