Khaled Bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation

IN 2021, THE SCIENCE TEAM WAS HARD AT WORK FOCUSING ON ADDRESSING THE PLIGHT OF CORAL REEFS INCLUDING SEVERAL NEW STUDIES AND SIX PUBLICATIONS. THE FOUNDATION PARTNERED WITH NASA, PRESENTED AT PRESTIGIOUS CONFERENCES, AND LAUNCHED NEW PROJECTS TO MAP CORAL REEFS. THIS YEAR, THE FOUNDATION IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE CONCLUSION OF THIS PIONEERING EFFORT TO SURVEY AND MAP CORAL REEFS AROUND THE WORLD WITH THE RELEASE OF THE GLOBAL REEF EXPEDITION FINAL REPORT. KSLOF SCIENCE TEAM PARTNERED WITH NASA'S AMES RESEARCH CENTER TO USE THE FOUNDATION'S EXTENSIVE HIGH-RESOLUTION DATA ABOUT REEFS TO EXPAND NASA'S CORAL MAPPING CAPABILITIES. THIS PARTNERSHIP WILL ALLOW NASA TO CREATE MAPS OF ALL THE CORAL REEFS IN THE WORLD AND TRACK HOW REEFS ARE CHANGING THROUGH TIME. KSLOF WAS AWARDED A GRANT TO WORK ON A NEW PROJECT WITH THE PACIFIC BLUE FOUNDATION AND CORALNET. THE PROJECT USES KSLOF'S LARGE REPOSITORY OF IMAGES FROM FIJI, AND OUR EXPERTISE, TO IMPROVE THE CORALNET MACHINE LEARNING PLATFORM.

DUE TO CONTINUED CONCERNS OF COVID-19, MOST FACE-TO-FACE PROGRAMS WERE POSTPONED. DESPITE THESE DISRUPTIONS, WE CONTINUED TO IMPROVE AND BUILD UPON THEIR CORE PROGRAMS. WE REMOTELY WORKED WITH ALLIGATOR HEAD FOUNDATION TO LAUNCH A NEW PROGRAM CALLED MANGROVE DEALS, ALLOWING THE FOUNDATION TO EXPAND ITS EXISTING MANGROVE EDUCATION EFFORTS IN JAMAICA. WITH GRANT FUNDING FROM THE MURRAY FOUNDATION, WE WERE ABLE TO CREATE RESOURCES ON THE EDUCATION PORTAL. WE ALSO PARTNERED WITH K2 STUDIOS TO DEVELOP A CURRICULUM FOR THEIR IMAX FILM CALLED OCEAN ODYSSEY. THE FOUNDATION, AND PARTNERS AT THE BAHAMAS MARINE MAMMAL RESEARCH ORGANISATION AND DR. RYANN ROSSI, WERE AWARDED A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC GRANT TO DEVELOP CURRICULUM ABOUT SOUND POLLUTION. WE RECEIVED A JOINT GRANT FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI TO CO-CREATE A VIRTUAL REALITY EDUCATIONAL TOOL ABOUT DIFFERENT TYPES OF REEFS AND THEIR ZONES. FINALLY, THE FOUNDATION CONTINUED TO ENGAGE WITH STUDENTS WITH THE SCIENCE WITHOUT BORDERS CHALLENGE.

IN 2021, KSLOF LAUNCHED A NEW TV SHOW, OUR LIVING OCEANS, NOW PLAYING ON EARTHXTV. THIS 6-PART DOCUMENTARY SERIES EDUCATES VIEWERS ON THE HEALTH OF OUR LIVING OCEANS, THE THREATS THEY FACE, AND WHAT IS BEING DONE TO SAVE THEM THROUGH CONVERSATIONS WITH SCIENTISTS, CONSERVATIONISTS, AND LOCAL LEADERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. IT FEATURES INTERVIEWS WITH NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER SYLVIA EARLE, NASA'S VED CHIRAYATH, AND MANY MORE WORKING ON THE FRONT LINES OF OCEAN CONSERVATION. THIS YEAR KSLOF ALSO COMPLETED A REPORT ON THE STATE OF REEFS IN THE CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO AND PUBLISHED THE GLOBAL REEF EXPEDITION FINAL REPORT. WE SHARED NEWS OF OUR FINDINGS WITH MEDIA OUTLETS WORLDWIDE AND REACHED OUT TO RELEVANT GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, SCIENTISTS, NGOS, AND MARINE MANAGERS SO OUR FINDINGS COULD BE USED FOR CONSERVATION. TO CELEBRATE OUR ACHIEVEMENTS, WE HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE IUCN WORLD CONSERVATION CONGRESS, WHERE WE FORMALLY ANNOUNCED THE CONCLUSION OF OUT 10-YEAR GLOBAL REEF EXPEDITION.