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Carol Phua is the Coral Reef Rescue Initiative Manager at WWF, where she has worked for over 16 years. At every stage of her career, she has been drawn to challenging projects that require a unique approach, in the belief that working closely with communities is key in the conservation of coastal resources. Carol founded Ocean Witness and was the leader of WWF’s Malaysia Marine Programme and Global Sharks & Rays Initiative. She is also the author and editor of the Living Blue Planet Report.

It’s easy to focus on the negatives in conservation, as the challenges we face are huge; but it’s also really important to keep being inspired and keep looking for bright spots in the work we do. Meeting and talking to people about how their spiritual beliefs and traditions promote stewardship - but also care for resources and the environment - is incredibly encouraging and for me, certainly inspires hope.

Chief Scientific Advisor for CRRI and one of the most commonly cited authors on climate change, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg is Professor of Marine Studies at the University of Queensland, where he has pioneered research on the impacts of global change in marine ecosystems such as coral reefs. He is also the founder of the Global Change Institute and Coordinating Lead Author for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Caitie is the Monitoring & Data Management Lead at CRRI. Based in Brisbane, Australia, she is a conservation scientist working at the interface of science and policy. She is passionate about finding ways to meet the needs of a growing human population, while also minimising impacts on the environment – particularly in the world’s oceans.

Whether you live near an ocean or coral reef or not, you still benefit from and influence their health. Many of our agricultural practices and personal lifestyle choices impact coral reef health - through nutrient run-off, sustainable food choices or contributions to climate change. Coastal communities are obviously important and directly interact with the ocean more frequently, but the role of non-coastal communities should not be overlooked.

Based in Singapore, Paolo Mangahas is the Partnership Support & Outreach Lead at CRRI. He brings years of professional experience in communications and marketing to the initiative, having previously worked on various WWF projects in national, regional and global capacities, including the WWF Coral Triangle Programme.

Coral reefs may not be as visible as say, forests, but they’re just as vital to the health of our planet. Global action is needed now if they and the communities that depend on them for survival are to withstand the impacts of our rapidly changing climate. CRRI has the potential to bring about a better and stronger relationship between humanity and the ocean; to create positive and long-lasting changes for nature and people.

Based at WWF-Australia, Aya is Programme Support Officer at CRRI. She has previously worked with coastal communities in the Solomon Islands, Indonesia, Palau and Micronesia. A lifelong lover of the ocean, her great passions are free diving, bushwalking and helping communities on the frontline of conservation to achieve sustainable development.

What makes CRRI unique is that it sees the connection between the health of coastal communities and the protection of coral reefs. When communities are proud of their natural resources and have sufficient capacity to manage them, positive outcomes become much more likely, for both the community and the resources themselves.