This workshop is targeted to anyone deploying restoration for reef management. Using the Great Barrier Reef as a case study, we will introduce a new, web-based tool for designing management interventions that link restoration design to expected outcomes. Participants can design their own interventions and evaluate the degree to which they improve the health of the Reef against a backdrop of climate change. As a group, we will review what is needed to create a decision-support tool and discuss desirable attributes. Please bring your laptop!

This workshop intends to bring together coral restoration practitioners, researchers, managers, policymakers and aquarists working in the Middle East. Our specific goals will be to chart a “state of the region” for restoration efforts and approaches, synthesise ongoing restoration work, identify the diversity of program goals and hence measures of success underway, as well as forecast future activities and opportunities. Participants from different organisations will be encouraged to share a brief overview of their work, including successes and challenges – through interactive participation to create a visual overview of the activities in the region.

The primary goal of this workshop is to bring people together who are using transgenic techniques, are considering using them, or have concerns over their use in coral research and conservation. We would like to hear as many voices and perspectives as possible to improve the experimental techniques and prepare for ethical, regulatory, and permitting concerns prior to any consideration of introducing such products to the field. The session will be semi-structured: there will be presentations providing where the current state of technology creating transgenic corals stands as well and discussions on the ethical and management concerns they generate

The second session of our two-part workshop will feature a series of exhibits from leaders in the field of Large-area imaging (LAI, also known as photogrammetry, or structure-from-motion based imaging). This session will provide attendees with the opportunity to meet our presenters in person and attend hands on demonstrations and mini-training sessions. Each exhibitor will provide multiple scheduled demonstrations followed by informal question and answer opportunities over the course of the 3-hour session. Schedules will be provided in advance of the workshop to all registered session attendees. The exhibits are as follows:

1) LAI for Mission: Iconic Reefs (NOAA-NCCOS/FKNMS); 2) Automating LAI: CeruleanAI (Coral Restoration Foundation); AddTools for Agisoft Metashape: Settide (Spencer Miller); 3) Streamlining LAI with ReefShape (Will Greene, PIMS/ASU); 4) State of the art image processing with TagLab (Gaia Pavoni & Massimiliano Corsini, ISTI-CNR); 5) Analytics and immersive visualization using Viscore (Vid Petrovic, UC San Diego); 6) Enhanced LAI with Flying Fish Technologies (Brett Kettle); 7) Scaling LAI to extra-large areas (Brian Zgliczynski, CEI & Art Gleason, UM); 8) General applications of AI (Jordan Pierce, CSS-NOAA/NCCOS); AUVs in LAI: Hydrus (Chris Malzone, AdNav).

We encourage attendees to also join our first session, (Tuesday, November 10) for a chance to hear lectures from the presenters included here.

There is an urgent need to summarize the state of the science on factors, which can be harnessed to increase Caribbean coral adaptive capacity and to translate basic research into applied interventions that are scalable and effective. This three-part workshop will bring together research, management, and practitioner communities to identify knowledge gaps and coalesce the restoration community around high priority research and development needs. Day one will focus on understanding where the science is, day two will incorporate management and practitioner input on policy and/or capability/willingness to implement interventions, and day three will bring the management/practitioner recommendations back to researchers with the ultimate goal of generating a roadmap for Caribbean restoration interventions.
Please apply if you are able to commit to the following: (1) Completion of Pre and Post surveys for participants (to maximize effectiveness of our in person discussions as individual sessions are only 3 hours long); (2) In-person participation at Reef Futures (attendance at 1 of the 3 sessions in the series is required); (3) Ability to substantively contribute to follow-up deliverables such as white papers, manuscripts, funding proposals and/or regional working groups.
Please indicate your interest to participate by filling out this form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUGGUOKZFwQ26TL5xPzupa35z2gAIGxpL5X-Az6gNFSCnZjA/viewform

Heal Yourself, Heal the Reef, is a transformative workshop tailored for coral reef conservation leaders facing the emotional toll of escalating ecological challenges, including the recent Fourth Global Bleaching Event. This 3 hour session will equip participants with tools for resilience, self-care, and renewed commitment through practices like storytelling, yoga, meditation, and communal dialogue. Designed for those dedicated to sustaining coral futures, this workshop provides a supportive space to process grief, foster connections, and emerge empowered to continue their crucial work.