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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Coral Reefs in Roatán Thrive with Clean Water
The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL), our partners in the Bay Islands of Honduras, and the people of Roatán celebrated a major win as a decade of work recently came to fruition when the island passed clean water standards for the first time since monitoring began in 2013. The island of Roatán, part of the Bay…
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Plant a Tree, Save a Coral
Jen Vander Veur is fighting an uphill battle to save coral reefs on the slopes of West Maui’s mountains. Jen is CORAL’s Program Manager in Maui, and she’s leading the charge on restoring Maui’s once lush forest to stabilize the soil and protect coral reefs downstream from being smothered by sediment, reversing the effects of…
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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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Raising Chickens and Bees to Save Coral Reefs
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. Overfishing not only disrupts the delicate ecology of coral reefs, it also negatively impacts the local communities that depend on them. If fishers are unable…
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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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Long-term Conservation and Collaboration in Honduras Pays Off for Coral Reefs
In January 2018, we shared the results of Healthy Reefs Initiative (HRI)’s report on the status and trends of reef health in the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR). One of the key findings of the HRI Report Card is that the long-term dedication and collaboration of groups like CORAL in the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR) has paid off,…
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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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CORAL’s Innovative Approach to Resolving Stormwater Issues in Maui
In a natural landscape, trees and soil help soak up rainwater, but in developed or urban landscapes, rainwater falls onto streets, parking lots, roofs, or other non-absorbent surfaces like concrete and asphalt. Instead of sinking into the ground, rainwater runs off the land, picking up harmful pollutants like nutrients, pesticides, petroleum residues, and sediments along…