Blue Diplomacy and Transboundary Coral Reef Conservation: Case Studies and Lessons Learned for Safeguarding an Ecosystem under Devastating Impact of Global Climate Change and Local Hazards

Theme Icon - Conservation, Conflict, and Cooperation

Date & Time
Jun 9, 2026 | 7.00 - 8.30

Link
https://us04web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VbFWYXAvS8qjqUNrhBbTTg

Participants
Rina Kedem, Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (Israel)
Melanie McField, Healthy Reefs for Healthy People (United States)
Suleiman Halasah, Institute for Science, Innovation and Society at the University of Oxford (Jordan)
Maoz Fine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel)

Coral reefs are biodiversity hotspots vital for marine life and human livelihoods. Coral reefs home to 25% of all life in the ocean, while they are less than 0.5% of the ocean’s surface area. Yet, they face existential threats from climate change and local stressors, with projections warning that up to 90% of global coral reefs could disappear by 2050 under current trends. Coral reefs exist in over 100 countries, but there are no precise estimations of how many coral reefs are transboundary in their nature. Some well-known transboundary coral reef systems include the: Coral Triangle, spanning Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Solomon Islands. The Red Sea reefs, shared by Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Djibouti, Jordan and Israel. The Caribbean reef systems, which span multiple island nations and coastal states. In this panel we will examine the critical role of Transboundary Environmental Cooperation (TEC) in safeguarding coral reefs worldwide and creating coral reef ‘refuges’ around the world. We will discuss lessons learned from different case studies with the aim of collecting good practices for transboundary coral reef conservation.

Reefs of Hope: Science Diplomacy for the Protection of the Thermal Resilient Corals of the Gulf of Aqaba

Maoz Fine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel)

Success and Failure Factors for Transboundary Marine Conservation in the Gulf of Aqaba

Suleiman Halasah, Institute for Science, Innovation and Society at the University of Oxford (Jordan)

Policy Frameworks and Multi-sector Involvement for Transboundary Marine Conservation and the Creation of ‘Coral Refuges’

Rina Kedem, Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (Israel)

Lessons from Transboundary Coral Reef Conservation of the Mesoamerican Reef and the Healthy Reefs Initiative

Melanie McField, Healthy Reefs for Healthy People (United States)