Situation

Human activity, carbon emissions and global warming are damaging the health of coral reefs worldwide. Policy-makers in coastal areas and marine management officials need better information about what they can do to sustain the life of coral reefs. To fill this gap in knowledge the World Bank implements the Coral Reef Targeted Research and Capacity Building for Management (CRTR) Program. The CRTR Program provides credible, factual and scientifically-proven knowledge for improved coral reef management and policy development. The Australian affiliate for the PRGN, Currie Communications (www.curriecom.com.au), coordinates all communications for this global program.

Strategy

The strategy was to raise awareness that, in order to save coral reefs, there needs to be immediate action from world leaders to urgently cut CO2 emissions, and from policy-makers and reef managers to stop over-fishing, pollution and unsustainable coastal development. To generate media interest the CRTR Program published its first “synthesis” paper in the prestigious Science Magazineas the cover story. The paper, The Carbon Crisis: Coral Reefs under Rapid Climate Change and Ocean Acidification, highlighted the urgent action required to protect coral reefs from rising concentrations of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere. The publication of the paper was timed to occur on the eve of a landmark meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bali where world leaders were gathering to create a road map for lower carbon emissions.

Execution

To coincide with publication of the scientific paper, an international media campaign was designed, targeting science, political and environmental journalists from influential print and electronic media worldwide. An embargoed media kit was distributed internationally prior to the paper’s release, in order to generate timely coverage. Extensive media liaison with newswire reporters and advocacy agencies in Australia, the Philippines, North America, East Africa, the United Kingdom and Mexico was undertaken before and after the announcement. A media conference, broadcast on-line through the Australian Science Media Centre, was staged in Brisbane, Australia, where world-leading marine scientists were meeting.

Results

The media announcement received widespread international media coverage. On the day of its release, 165 media outlets worldwide reported its findings with dramatic images from the Science Magazinepaper widely used to illustrate the story. Within 24 hours the paper’s main message made news headlines in 20 countries, including Australia, USA, United Kingdom, Canada, France, New Zealand, Spain, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Singapore, Cayman Islands, Russia, The Netherlands, Italy, Germany, the Philippines, Portugal and China. The CRTR Program’s authors were quoted on the front pages of leading national newspapers, including USA Today, The Guardian and The Australian.