Three linked workshops were held at the 4th IUCN Conservation Congress in Barcelona, Spain, in October 2008. The common theme among the workshops was the use of resilience approaches in conserving coral reefs. One workshop was focused on the science of resilience assessment, the second on applying resilience principles in Marine Protected Area Management, and the third on policy tools and approaches that can support resilience-based conservation. The workshops were organized by CORDIO (Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC), assisted by the IUCN Climate Change and Coral Reefs working group (CCCR).

This report highlights new themes for action identified by presenters in the workshops by collating suggestions and recommendations into one document as a platform for further action by organizers and participants. A major outcome of the sessions was the drafting and adoption of a formal resolution on supporting resilience-based management of coral reefs and other marine organisms, calling on IUCN to adopt and promote these approaches in its 2009-12 Work Programme, and for other organizations, countries and partners to do the same (Resolution 4.080).