Media attendance

The International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) convenes the world's leading coral reef scientists, managers, and community practitioners every four years. ICRS 2026, hosted in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand, from July 19th to 24th, will be the most important week in coral reef science this decade – taking stock of the 4th global bleaching event, showcasing the new generation of reef-scale restoration and technology, and centring Pacific and Indigenous-led stewardship.

The ICRS Media Zone offers accredited journalists access to curated press briefings, giving media direct access to the researchers behind the most interesting newly published or still-in-development coral reef science, and a dedicated media room for interviews and filing. Registered media will also have the ability to tune in to livestreams of the press briefings, for those unable to travel in person, and recordings will be circulated to all registered media who are unable to tune into the livestream due to timezones.

What registered media receive:

• Complimentary media registration (this does not include catering) for the week of the Symposium
• Access to three themed press briefings during the week of July 19th – Climate Change and Corals; Innovation and Restoration; Local Action and the Pacific.
• A dedicated media room for interviews, writing, and filing, open throughout the week.
• Embargoed press previews circulated two weeks before the symposium.
• Interview-booking support with scientists, panelists, and keynote speakers.
• Access to evening film screenings: Wealth Untold (Mon 20 Jul) and Super Reefs with a live panel featuring Joeli Veitayaki (Wed 22 Jul).

Media Briefings

Date: Tuesday July 21st, 12:15pm-1:15pm
Theme: Climate Change and Corals

Hear directly from the scientists behind the most significant coral reef findings of the past four years - from the full scale of the 4th global bleaching event, to the emerging science of resilience and coral reef hope spots that rarely make headlines.

Panellists:

• Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, University of Queensland. “Overview of projected climate change impacts globally”
• Mike Emslie, Australian Institute of Marine Science. “Severe GBR wide impacts from the 2024 mass coral bleaching event”
• Morgan Pratchett, James Cook University. “Where have all the corals gone? Increasing vulnerability and volatility in coral assemblages”
• Stacy Jupiter, Wildlife Conservation Society. “A new global portfolio of climate-resilient reefs”
• Chuck Birkeland, University of Hawaii. “American Samoan coral reefs are doing well by negative feedback between corals and CCA”

Date: Wednesday July 22nd, 12:15pm-1:15pm
Theme: Innovation and Restoration

Get in the room with the researchers pioneering the world’s most innovative coral conservation and restoration approaches - from industrial-scale coral farms to breakthrough recovery technologies - and ask them where the science is really heading.

Panellists:

• Andrea Grottoli, Ohio State University. “Underwater Zooplankton Light Enhancement Array (UZELA) technology as a coral restoration enhancement intervention”
• David Suggett, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. “Industrial-scale reef restoration: Operationalizing the world's largest land-based coral farm”
• Madeleine van Oppen, Australian Institute of Marine Science. “Assisted evolution to enhance coral climate resilience and safeguard reef futures”
• Yusuf El-Khaled, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. “Coral Probiotics Mitigate Mortality of Reef Life In Situ During a Record Heatwave”

Date: Thursday July 23rd, 12:15pm-1:15pm
Theme: Local Action and the Pacific

Meet the scientists and community practitioners leading Indigenous and Pacific-centred approaches to reef stewardship and hear first-hand why local action is proving critical to reef survival.

Panellists:

• Jacinta Jonathan, Sea Women of Melanesia. “Indigenous Women Bridging Tradition and Digital Innovation for Community Reef Management in Papua New Guinea”
• Rajneel Singh, Sustainable Environment and Livelihood Solutions. “Community-Led Coral Rehabilitation in Funafuti, Tuvalu: Blending Local Knowledge with Low-Cost Restoration”
• Uilani Naipo, Kalanihale. “Community Co-management: Preserving the Integrity of Native Hawaiian Traditional Ecological Knowledge by Honoring Those that Perpetuate the Practices of Place”
• Sangeeta Mangubhai, Talanoa Consulting. “Exploring the sustainability and resilience of coral reef fisheries”
• Emma Camp, University of Technology, Sydney. “Integrating Scientific Innovation and Community Stewardship: Insights from the Coral Nurture Program”

All media briefings will take place in Room 303 at the Symposium venue NZICC.  

For other media inquiries, including attending virtually, or to share embargoed press with registered media, please contact Haley Williams: hwilliams@wcs.org