World Heritage Committee side event: Coral bleaching in World Heritage marine sites

During the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee held in Krakow from 2 to 12 July 2017, the World Heritage Centre's Marine Programme organized the side event "Coral bleaching in World Heritage marine sites". This event presented the results of the study "Impacts of Climate Change on World Heritage Coral Reefs. A First Global Scientific Assessment". Speakers included Dr. Mark Eakin (NOAA Coral Reef Watch), eminent coral expert Dr. Charlie Veron and Mr. Christophe Lefebvre from the French Agency for Biodiversity, who supported the work.

The assessment looks at the frequency with which World Heritage reefs have been subjected to heat stress that exceeds best-case rates of recovery. It also examines future impacts to World Heritage reefs under two emissions scenarios. More information is available at: https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1676/.