More than 45 scientists, government representatives, and conservation practitioners gathered in Miami this week for an expert workshop focused on Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), one of the most serious threats facing Caribbean coral reefs, including those surrounding Florida and The Bahamas.
The workshop, convened by the MSC Foundation, brought together participants from across The Bahamas, Florida, and the wider Caribbean to share data, treatment approaches, and scientific findings on a disease that first appeared in Florida in 2014 and has since spread rapidly across multiple countries and territories. SCTLD affects hard corals, spreading quickly across reef systems and threatening marine biodiversity, fisheries, coastal protection, and tourism.
Participants identified five key priorities for safeguarding Bahamian reefs: building local conservation capacity, closing critical data gaps, strengthening national research collaboration, mapping reef interconnectivity, and implementing integrated management approaches that address the full range of threats facing reef ecosystems.
“SCTLD remains a serious challenge for us, but it is also an opportunity to strengthen our stewardship, accelerate science-based decision making, and empower communities to build a more resilient archipelago,” said Dr Rhianna Neely-Murphy, Director of The Bahamas Department of Environmental Planning and Protection.
“Coral disease does not stop at national boundaries and neither can our response,” said Dr Aaron Hartmann, Senior Scientist at the Perry Institute for Marine Science. “By sharing data, treatments, and hard-won lessons openly, we give these reefs a far stronger chance to recover.”
Participating organizations committed to developing a shared coordination framework to guide future conservation priorities.
