On a beautiful and uncharacteristically calm afternoon in February, Maui County’s Mayor, Alan Arakawa, arrived at Kahekili Beach Park, barefoot and carrying a mask and fins in a bucket. Mayor Arakawa was eager to get in the water to dive with CORAL and our partners from the West Maui Ridge to Reef Initiative and the… Continue Reading →
Wes Crile thinks it takes a watershed to save a reef. Sound daunting? Not to him—he views it as a great opportunity. Since joining CORAL as a Hawai‘i field manager in January, he has been busy getting to know his new watershed in Maui. Because Maui is an island, he says, some of its water… Continue Reading →
On the north shore of Kauai, just north of the well known Hanalei Bay, is an idylic stretch of coastline known as “Makua.” Makua, a Hawaiian word for provider, may refer in this case to the important resources that came from this once vibrant reef ecosystem and helped provide for the needs of people living… Continue Reading →
If you’re ever feeling discouraged about the state of the planet, look no further than 15-year old Dylan Vecchione for inspiration. At age 13, Dylan founded his own nonprofit called ReefQuest to foster marine stewardship through citizen science. But the idea for ReefQuest—and his first “initiative,” as he puts it—began when he was only seven.… Continue Reading →
For Immediate Release March 10, 2014 ROATAN/SAN FRANCISCO—With help from the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL), the Healthy Reefs Initiative, and Amatela, a Tela-based organization, the Honduran government has designated Tela Bay, which contains one of the Caribbean’s healthiest coral reefs, a federal Site of Wildlife Importance. Close to 800 elkhorn corals (Acropora palmata), listed as… Continue Reading →
On February 11 and 12, 2014, in Nadi, Fiji, The Pew Charitable Trusts, CORAL, and the Fiji Government hosted the Oceania Follow-up Regional Workshop on the Implementation of CITES Appendix II Shark Listings. With representatives from 11 countries in the Pacific and over 60 participants and observers, significant progress was made toward ensuring these newly… Continue Reading →
NanengCoral Triangle Regional Manager Naneng Setiasih’s hope for the future of conservation is that nonprofits, businesses, and governments will learn to play better together. “We have so many prejudices and boxes,” she says. “I want to see more of us work across boxes. The environment is a job for everybody; we need to stop blaming… Continue Reading →
Gavin Parnes is a seventh grader at Brandeis Hillel Day School in San Rafael, California, who is determined to change the world—by saving coral reefs. After his teacher decided to hold a Tzedakah (in Hebrew, “doing a good deed”) and parents created a fund to benefit nonprofit organizations, the 30 students in Gavin’s grade researched… Continue Reading →
The social sciences have historically been more intertwined with terrestrial conservation than with their marine counterpart. The notion of incorporating social science into conservation efforts began with the concept of Integrated Conservation and Development Programs (ICDPs), which aimed to simultaneously meet development and conservation goals. While the results of these projects were mixed, it remains… Continue Reading →