WORKSHOPS

The proposed workshop aims to strengthen coral reef restoration in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) by enhancing regional and international collaboration. It will facilitate the exchange and comparison of restoration experiences and protocols across the region, identify effective strategies, success indicators, and lessons learned, and highlight short- and long-term opportunities for collaboration among key institutions and actors. This initiative seeks to strengthen scientific collaboration, expand the network, and engage scientists, managers, practitioners, and NGOs working across the ETP.

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.

Thermal tolerance is only part of the story. This workshop goes beyond temperature to tackle the biological and environmental cofactors that determine whether corals die, bleach, or thrive during marine heatwaves. Through interactive breakout sessions, participants will prioritize key cofactors, map them to physiological mechanisms, and co-design community-scale mesocosm experiments that test how combinations of conditions create reef refugia. If you want to move from single-factor studies to integrated, multidisciplinary experimental frameworks, this workshop offers the collaborative space to do it.

The purpose of this workshop is to explore the critical linkages between land-based sources of pollution (LBSP) reduction via watershed restoration and the success and efficacy of in-water coral reef restoration projects. The intended audience is resource managers and restoration practitioners of coral and watershed restoration projects.

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**

This half-day workshop introduces the Caribbean Coral Emergency Response Plan (CCERP)—a regional, manager-facing framework for preparing for and responding to coral reef emergencies across the Wider Caribbean, from bleaching and disease to physical damage and pollution. Through facilitated breakouts, participants will pressure-test the Plan against real case studies, walk through its trigger system and response tools, and help shape its final technical components. It's a chance for managers, practitioners, scientists, and donors to leave with a practical framework they can apply at home.

As coral reefs continue to decline globally, this workshop will bring together a group of Pew Marine Fellows and restoration practitioners working across diverse geographies, environmental conditions, levels of genetic diversity, and stakeholder contexts to bridge science and practice in coral reef restoration. Participants will share lessons learned, evaluate emerging tools and approaches, and identify strategies to improve the resilience, effectiveness, and long-term impact of restoration efforts worldwide.

Is your restoration work being impacted by climate change? Are you looking for ways to ensure your nursery-reared corals survive future environmental extremes? Have you considered implementing measurements to improve the likelihood of your coral outplants surviving future stressors? In this workshop, we will share knowledge about how to move beyond traditional approaches and actively boost coral adaptation rates to future stressors. We want to hear from you: we will discuss how established restoration activities can be adapted to integrate climate-smart strategies to improve coral survival.

Discover how the meditative practice of watercolor painting can bridge the gap between marine science and community climate action. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn accessible watercolor techniques while painting custom coral reef greeting cards and postcards designed to spark emotional connection. We will explore how cultivating deep, focused artistic attention evokes ecological care, and provide actionable strategies for implementing these creative techniques in classrooms and workshops to inspire both children and adults to protect our reefs. No artistic background needed.

This interactive workshop will share practical approaches for building more inclusive coral reef restoration programs by empowering women and local communities as conservation leaders. Participants will learn from successful examples, exchange experiences, and develop actionable strategies to strengthen equity, partnerships, and long-term restoration success.