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The International Tropical Marine Ecosystems Management Symposium

International Coral Reef Initiative

By IW:LEARN

November 5^th, 2019

The International Tropical Marine Ecosystems Marine Symposium (ITMEMS) is a flagship activity of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI). To date five ITMEMS have been convened around the world. The first was held in Australia (1998), the second took place in the Philippines (2003), the third was in Mexico (2006), the fourth in Guadeloupe (2011), and the fifth was once again held in the Philippines (2016).

The sixth ITMEMS will be held in Manado, Indonesia from the 14th-17th of April 2020 under the theme “Healthy Reef, Wealthy Ocean”, at the Novotel Manado. Participants of the 6th ITMEMS will also be invited to visit the Bunaken National Marine Park on a field trip.

The aim of ITMEMS is and has always been to develop and strengthen the capacities of coastal and marine managers and their partners to conserve and promote the sustainable use of coral reefs and their related ecosystems.

Thematic experts and experienced practitioners will lead sessions on a range of topics including (but not limited to) Innovative Finance, Sustainable Tourism, Reef resilience, Strategic Communication and the Live Reef Food Fish Trade (for a full list of the topics please see the ITMEMS 6 website, where descriptions of the sessions will be provided). The format of ITMEMS allows participants the freedom to choose the learning sessions they attend, therefore, ensuring they gain the most from the symposium.

Participants of the sixth ITMEMS will comprise of MPA managers and stakeholders around MPAs including NGOs, fishing communities and tourism businesses. Past ITMEMS have been attended by GEF-related project staff and partners.