Coral reef ecosystems only cover 0.2% of the ocean floor but support 25% of all marine life. Nearly one billion people globally depend on them for food and livelihoods. Reefs also provide a vital buffer against waves and coastal storms. However, threats such as climate change, pollution, and overfishing pose a threat to their survival. Journalism can play a role in highlighting the threats coral reefs face, the communities that rely on them, and the benefits reefs provide to the world as a whole.
This edition of Mongabay’s webinar series dives into the wide world of coral reefs, how journalists can better cover them, the people who depend on them, and solutions to protect them.
Joining the panel are:
- Basten Gokkon from Mongabay
- Brenda Lima from Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo (KUA)
- Israel Muñiz from Healthy Reefs for Healthy People (HRHP)
Register here.
Event details
When: May 1s, 2025 at 11:00pm UTC
Where: Live on Mongabay’s YouTube Channel and LinkedIn page.
Register: Click here and tell a friend!
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The experts
BASTEN GOKKON
Basten Gokkon is a Jakarta-based senior staff writer for Mongabay. He writes about marine and fisheries issues, but his beats also include human rights, wildlife conservation, public health, and their intersections.
BRENDA LIMA
Brenda was raised in Waipiʻo (ʻEwa, Oʻahu). She began volunteering for Paepae o Heʻeia (POH) at Heʻeia fishpond during holiday breaks from Occidental College, where she received her B.A. in Biology with a Marine Biology emphasis. She joined the POH staff as a part-time Ka ʻAi Kamahaʻo internship coordinator while pursuing her M.S. in Marine Science from Hawaiʻi Pacific University. Brenda joined the KUA team in September 2013, and her primary kuleana is to coordinate opportunities for loko iʻa practitioners to network and increase restoration efforts.
ISRAEL MUÑIZ
Israel Muñiz-Castillo is currently the marine science officer at the Healthy Reefs Initiative. He is a marine ecologist focused on analyzing spatial and temporal changes in tropical marine ecosystems. He has experience in ecological data analysis and geographic information systems. His major interests are identifying drivers of change, developing early warning systems for ecological risks, ecological restoration, and conservation of coral reefs.
About Mongabay
Mongabay is a nonprofit environmental science and conservation news platform focused on providing cutting-edge independent journalism from nature’s frontline. We pride ourselves in producing reporting that has substantial, tangible impacts around the world.