Local and Global News
Photo by Ryan Pernofski
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Income Diversification Projects Build Human and Ecosystem Resilience
Coral reefs provide an important source of food and income for coastal and island communities around the world, but more than 55 percent of reefs are threatened by overfishing globally. Coral reefs depend on fish like parrotfish and surgeonfish to consume seaweeds (also called macroalgae) and prevent them from overgrowing and smothering coral reefs. Entrepreneurial…
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Motorcyclists Become Unexpected Allies in Protecting Maui’s Reefs
If you walk along a certain dirt road in the Wahikuli watershed in West Maui, you will see a large sign made by the Coral Reef Alliance asking bikers for their kokua (help) in avoiding this road and taking an alternative road nearby instead. What does this road a mile from the shoreline have to…
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Hawaiʻi Wai Ola Citizen Science Program Launches
‘A`ohe hua o ka mai`a i ka lā ho’okaāhi — When a task is done together, no task is too big.” The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) and partners are excited to announce the launch of the Hawaiʻi Wai Ola citizen science program. Hawaiʻi Wai Ola is a collaborative group (called a Hui in Hawaiian) comprised…
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Highlighting a Local Hero in West Maui
The volunteers of the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) play an important role in ensuring the success of the Clean Water for Reefs Initiative in West Maui. Their hard work and dedication helps CORAL achieve our mission of uniting communities to save coral reefs. Among this stellar network of volunteers, Charley Dofa stands out as an…
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Youth Lead Beach Cleanups in Bali
In early March, 2018, communities in Amed and Tulamben held coastal cleanups to show their support for the third International Year of the Reef (IYOR). Local communities, Reef Check Foundation Indonesia (RCFI), and the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) encouraged youth participation as part of the event. The cleanups helped stakeholders share information about the impacts…
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Restoring an Ecosystem: Tisa Fa’amuli’s Story
The Alega Marine Sanctuary in American Samoa is a special place. It’s a place where turtles lay their eggs on the beach, sharks swim around the bay and young corals grow everywhere. Not too long ago, however, the local coral reefs had been devastated by overharvesting and pollution. What changed to allow these reefs…
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Inspiration from the Next Generation of Environmentalists
Coral reefs mean different things to different individuals depending on their connection (or lack of connection) to them. For those that are landlocked or have never visited tropical waters, coral reefs probably don’t often come to their mind. However, for individuals like Justin Jesuele, a seventh grader at Viewpoint School in California, coral reefs and…
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Creating Win-wins for Reefs and People
It’s 2011 and Jenny Myton, CORAL’s Associate Program Director for the Mesoamerican Reef, is diving in the murky waters of Tela Bay, Honduras. Her husband rolls into the water after her and hears Jenny scream. He panics: is she OK? As he swims down to her he also starts to yell but they are both…
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Protecting a Lagoon and its People
Imagine sitting in a small boat on the Laguna de Los Micos on the northern coast of Honduras, just a few miles west of Tela. You’re enjoying a sunny day in the lagoon surrounded by green mangroves, birds singing to one another and monkeys playing among the branches. In the distance, you see local fishermen…