HONOLULU - More than 2,000 international reef scientists, policymakers and stakeholders are gathering in Hawaii this week to discuss the latest coral science and what can be done to stop widespread death of the world's reefs.

The International Coral Reef Symposium convenes Monday to try to create a more unified conservation plan for coral reefs

In the face of global warming and after decades of increasingly devastating coral reef destruction, the world's top marine scientists are struggling to find the political and financial wherewithal to tackle the loss of these globally important ecosystems.

Consecutive years of coral bleaching have led to some of the most widespread mortality of reefs on record. While coral that bleaches often recovers, multiple years of bleaching weakens the organisms and increases the risk of death.