INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE REEF (IYOR)

IUCN/World Conservation Union, U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the International Year of the Reef (IYOR) invite your contribution to an international media strategy to highlight the urgent need for conservation and sustainable use of coral reefs. IUCN, NOAA and IYOR propose a coordinated 52 weekly story idea calendar to be distributed to international media outlets throughout the year to promote the outreach and educational goals of IYOR.

To implement this strategy, a true partnership is required among agencies, IUCN members, and IYOR if the heightened public awareness is to encourage action at local, national, regional and international levels.

IUCN requests its marine-oriented members to submit story ideas to NOAA by October 30.

Each group that responds with ideas will be responsible for drafting a release for the story idea, providing background materials and for listing a contact on the subject matter. See attached format.

NOAA will assist in distributing these story ideas to the international media.

• IUCN and IYOR will solicit story ideas and submit to contact points by October 30.

• The first 1997 quarter's set of stories are agreed upon in November by IUCN, NOAA and IYOR and the parties responsible are notified of selection and due date of release, background and contact person.

• The remaining 52 week calendar stories are proposed and release dates are sent to all participating groups.

• Press releases and background information for the first two months are due December 1.

• NOAA will contact media outlets and begin promoting the 52-week program for the coral reef initiative in late December.

• The release calender is made available to the media outlets.

• Beginning January 6, 1997, every Monday morning, a new story idea is sent to local, national and international media markets interested in coral reefs and the IYOR.

• NOAA's Office of Public and Constituent Affairs will facilitate media outreach on story ideas including distribution of materials and background information.

A story idea or "tip sheet" is a media teaser. It is not a press release or news article. It is a paragraph or two that gives a broad outline of a newsworthy topic and gives the reporter the name and number of the person to contact for more information. The contact person will provide the reporter the background information and expert list needed to write the article.

Diverse newsworthy story ideas will be considered addressing the broad range of themes of the International Coral Reef Initiative and IYOR: coastal zone management, capacity building, research and monitoring. Some examples might include the launch of new coastal area management planning at a site, project successes/failures, cyanide fishing and other destructive fishing practices, research, e.g., human impacts on ecosystems, regional monitoring networks supporting the global coral monitoring network, public involvement and empowerment, application of a new technology, ecotourism and carrying capacity, transforming paper parks into operational coastal/marine parks, etc.

Coral bleaching caused by environmental stresses is threatening the Western Hemisphereas well as other areas of the western Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. The same warm waters that spawned or strengthened hurricanes in the western Atlantic last year also are associated with this occurrence of coral bleaching. From August through October, NOAA satellites detected elevated sea surface temperatures spanning much of the Gulf of Mexico and the western Caribbean basin from Belize to Jamaica, Honduras and Venezuela.

• Story Theme/Working Title
• Relevant Dates (if any)
• Summary. Two paragraphs outlining the following:
  • Problem/Urgency
  • Solutions/Conservation and sustainable use measures
  • Local/regional/international angles

• Proposing Organization/Individual
• Phone/facsimile/e-mail and mailing address
• Author
• Background Information (for organizer's purpose, to keep a folder on each topic idea)