The International Year of the Reef (IYOR 2008) is a worldwide campaign to raise awareness about the value and importance of coral reefs. The International Year of the Reef was designated by the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) with the aim of educating people around the world about the threats facing coral reefs and motivating people to take action to protect them.

Australia is a founding partner in ICRI and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) has been Australia's lead representative in ICRI since its inception in 1994.

Individuals, corporations, schools, governments, and organizations throughout Australia and the world are invited to join the GBRMPA in supporting IYOR 2008 by working together to help protect and preserve the future of the Great Barrier Reef.

Visit International Year of the Reef for further information and activities

Our support for International Year of the Reef

As part of our day-to-day business of managing the Great Barrier Reef, the GBRMPA and our partners are supporting the International Year of the Reef through a number of initiatives.

• 130 of the GBRMPA's Reef Guardians Schools are supporting IYOR 2008 by helping to protect the Great Barrier Reef. Reef Guardian Schools will participate in special events such as Clean Up Australia Day and some schools are looking into adopting sister schools in other countries to share messages about the importance of protecting and preserving coral reefs during IYOR 2008. Several new schools including the first ever Reef Guardian Child Care Centre will join the programme this year in celebration of IYOR 2008.
  
• Reef HQ Aquarium, the education centre for the GBRMPA, is incorporating IYOR themes into its educational programmes and events during 2008. IYOR is mentioned during talks, tours and in educational programmes in order to promote the idea that protecting coral reefs requires an international effort.
  
• A display highlighting the issue of climate change and its potential impact on the Great Barrier Reef has been developed for Reef HQ in recognition of IYOR 2008.
• In honour of IYOR 2008, the GBRMPA is sponsoring a number of educational displays highlighting the impacts of climate change on the Reef (for example, Holloway's Beach Environmental Centre, the Energy Wise Program, and a joint interpretive facility on coral reefs in conjunction with the GBR Foundation and BP Australia).
• The GBRMPA is sharing important IYOR messages about coral reefs with people from around the world through Reef HQ’s Reef Videoconferencing.
• Eleven community events entitled 'Reef Recollections' are being conducted during IYOR 2008 for the GBRMPA to learn about the history of the Great Barrier Reef first hand from community members.
• The GBRMPA is sharing IYOR message with our science partners through involvement in the Federal initiative, Science Meets Parliament in 2008.
  
• The GBRMPA has participated in a number of international documentaries about the Great Barrier Reef to celebrate IYOR 2008.
• The IYOR 2008 logo is included on GBRMPA publications including a series of educational posters, calendars, business communications and GBRMPA media releases.