WORKSHOPS
Workshop Registration is OPEN!
Reef Futures workshops will be held throughout the conference week. Please note that some workshops have multiple parts and some workshops will be offered more than once.
Please limit your attendance to only 2 workshops to allow as many attendees as possible to have the full Reef Futures experience!
Learn more about Reef Futures Workshops below.
Gaining Hands-on Training in AI Tools for Application in Coral Reef Science
ICRS Student and Early Career Committee (SECC)
Sunday
December 6, 2026
10:00
12:30
Start
End
The ICRS Student and Early Career Committee (SECC) Skills and Professional Development Team proposes an interactive workshop focused on integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into coral reef science. This session builds on a preceding online workshop (August 2026) where a panelist of experts introduced the applications of AI within their research. The workshop will be facilitated by ICRS - SECC, and led by two professionals in the field who are actively developing and applying AI-based approaches, such as computer vision, image analysis, and photogrammetry.
Creative Communications 2.0 (2 Sessions)
KAUST
Sunday
December 6, 2026
10:00
13:00
Start
End
At Reef Futures 2024 we collaborated creating a memorable closing ceremony entertainment item, One Reef More on the back of our Creative Communications workshop. This time at Reef Futures 2026 we would like to propose another creative communications workshop and coral restoration focused performance to be performed at the closing ceremony. The intended outcome is to engage and inspire participants and create a memorable experience for all RF participants.
Decision-making support for implementing resilience interventions in Caribbean restoration practices
University of Delaware
Sunday
December 6, 2026
10:00
16:00
Start
End
NOTE THIS IS AN INVITATION-ONLY WORKSHOP
To inquire about the application process to attend contact shackero@udel.edu
This workshop will bring together coral intervention experts, restoration practitioners, and managers to develop practical guidance for implementing emerging approaches to enhance coral resilience within restoration. Whether through genetic selection, microbiome-based approaches, physiological enhancement, or environmental and ecological interventions, participants will explore areas of uncertainty, context dependence, regulatory requirements, and measures of success. Guidelines will be drafted to help practitioners make more informed decisions about when, where, and under what conditions different interventions may be appropriate. While discussions will benefit from global insights, the Caribbean will be the focal region for implementation context.
Bridging Borders for Gulf of Mexico Corals: Toward Coordinated Coral Conservation and Restoration
Cresta Coastal Network
Sunday
December 6, 2026
10:00
16:00
Start
End
The Gulf of Mexico’s coral reefs are ecologically connected across national boundaries, yet research, conservation, and restoration efforts often remain fragmented among the U.S., Mexico, and Cuba. This interactive RedGolfo workshop will convene scientists, managers, restoration practitioners, policymakers, and partners from across the Gulf to identify shared priorities, develop collaborative project ideas, and strengthen pathways for coordinated coral conservation and restoration. Join us in building a more connected, Gulf-wide strategy for coral reef resilience.
Bringing Together Global Knowledge of Land-Based Coral Nurseries to Guide Sharing Lessons Learned
MER Research and Consulting
Sunday
December 6, 2026
10:00
16:00
Start
End
This workshop will create a dedicated space for practitioners working in, or exploring, land-based coral nurseries to collectively shape how knowledge, tools, and best practices are shared across the sector. Participants will be involved in dynamic exchanges on current approaches, challenges, and innovations in land-based coral farming. They will also work together to identify evolving needs, and co-design a solution that accelerates learning and supports the broader adoption of effective nursery design and operational approaches.
Bridging Policy and Practice in Coral Restoration: Navigating Regulatory Frameworks and Stakeholder Challenges
UNEP-WCMC
Sunday
December 6, 2026
10:00
16:00
Start
End
Assisted gene flow (AGF) of Caribbean corals offers a promising pathway to enhance reef resilience, yet its practical deployment faces a suite of challenges, including regulatory obstacles, transportation logistics, and facility infrastructure, as well as biological considerations such as genetic risks, pathogen/invasive species introduction, and microbiome integrity. This workshop aims to convene scientists, managers, and policymakers to examine how to overcome these challenges and develop responsible AGF programs. Discussion will address the complexities of moving corals across jurisdictions at different life stages, the need for scalable capacity (infrastructure and personnel), and other emerging challenges. Participants will collaboratively identify the strategic pathways, regulatory considerations, and financing mechanisms needed to enable safe, ethical, and regionally coordinated implementation of AGF across the Caribbean.
Robotics x AI x Reef Ecology: Advancing Autonomous Coral Reef Monitoring, Conservation, and Restoration
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Sunday
December 6. 2026
13:30
16:00
Start
End
Discover the current state of the art in robotics and AI and help shape the next generation of technologies to scale up restoration and monitoring of coral reefs. This workshop will include interactive activities and panels with engineers developing AI and robotics tools, and their users. There will be opportunities for reef practitioners to design their dream AI enhanced robot system. No experience necessary.
Microfragmentation Techniques (4 Sessions, 1:15 hr each)
Division of Aquatic Resources
Wednesday
December 9, 2026
14:00
15:15
Start
End
The goal of the workshop is to provide participants with a hands-on learning opportunity and the knowledge to troubleshoot issues and bring back their experience to their respective programs and projects. This workshop will connect coral restoration practitioners with little or no experience with microfragmentation techniques and provide a general introduction to the tools and methodology. **This workshop is being offered 4 times. Register ONLY for 1 session**
How to Design and Finance Reef and Mangrove Restoration Projects to Protect People and Nature
University of California Santa Cruz
Wednesday
December 9. 2026
14:00
17:00
Start
End
Coral reefs and mangroves provide billions of dollars in annual flood and erosion protection. These values can help finance the restoration that these critical habitats urgently need. This three-hour workshop equips practitioners, agencies, and investors with practical tools to quantify protection benefits, design reef restoration for risk reduction projects, evaluate cost-effectiveness and Return on Investment (OI), and access emerging financing mechanisms like resilience credits and reef insurance. Trainers include leaders from UC Santa Cruz, U. Miami, USGS, TNC, and Iberostar.
Aligning monitoring tools to bring coral reef restoration into global recovery frameworks
Coral Restoration Consortium Monitoring Working Group
Wednesday
December 9, 2026
14:00
17:00
Start
End
As global investments and commitments to restore degraded ecosystems accelerate, coral restoration risks being left out of emerging frameworks if it remains focused narrowly on coral quantities and isolated metrics, rather than integrative reef recovery. This workshop will identify key knowledge and resource gaps, explore how to shift from a focus on quantity to quality, and develop tools that help practitioners track progress toward local and global recovery targets. Participants will engage in interactive discussions and have opportunities to contribute to resulting publications and products aimed at elevating coral restoration within the broader restoration agenda.
