This section is intended to assist coral reef MPA managers develop and implement a series of management actions that focus on enhancing coral reef resilience in the face of mass bleaching and mortality. There will be much overlap between management of reefs for the more conventional stresses (e.g., fisheries, pollution, and tourism) and for mitigation of bleaching. Consequently, the following actions are intended to supplement, not replace, the usual suite of coral reef management activities that managers would implement in MPAs.

This section on Conservation Action introduces some specific principles and actions related to building resilience into coral reef MPAs and illustrates this with a hypothetical example of the process. The importance is stressed of protecting "refugia"- areas where corals will survive mass bleaching-so they can provide the larvae that are essential for the recovery of areas where the corals succumb to mass bleaching.

Ultimately, it is the maintenance of conditions that sustain healthy coral communities that is of fundamental importance to ensuring their resilience. Therefore, protected refugia must be integrated into broader management frameworks. This will enable the control of potentially damaging outside influences, such as sediments and other pollutants from land, rivers, and currents.