The 7th edition of the World Conference on Marine Biodiversity will be organized in Bruges between November 17th and 20th 2026. Find out more about the venue here.

The WCMB 2026 will fly the UN Ocean Decade flag, as it has been endorsed as a UN Ocean Decade Event. The overall theme of the Conference is “The marine biodiversity insights we need, for the ocean we want”. As the Conference will take place a little over halfway through the UN Ocean Decade, it will provide an excellent opportunity to take stock of ongoing actions and initiatives, but also evaluate what still needs to be tackled by the end of the Decade.

We are delighted to invite you to the 16th International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS), to be held in Auckland, New Zealand, from Sunday 19th to Friday 24th July 2026.

This will represent an important forum to highlight the plight of world’s coral reefs, including those across Oceania, and discuss management solutions with global applicability.

Coral reefs are a vital part of marine ecosystems and are under threat from global warming and ocean acidification, as well as more localised threats such as agricultural run-off, poor fishing practices and coastal development. Hosting the ICRS symposium in Oceania will provide a unique place to come together to identify solutions to these problems and to provide guidance to help governments, NGOs and industry make informed decisions to protect our coral reefs and the livelihood of those affected.