As part of CORAL’s development team, I don’t get many opportunities to go into the field. But last month, I joined Field Programs Director Jason Vasques on a trip to Playa del Carmen, Mexico, for a series of meetings relating to our work with the Mesoamerican Reef Tourism Initiative (MARTI). Now, not only are trips… Continue Reading →
For Immediate Release May 31, 2014 West Maui, Hawai‘i—For some local and state leaders, Saturday began with a special tour of West Maui’s most precious natural and economic resource—our coral reefs. Participants—a “who’s who” from within area government, hotel management, and other sectors critical to Hawai‘i’s future—donned their snorkel gear to explore both healthy and stressed reefs… Continue Reading →
Talking about marine biodiversity means talking about Indonesia, says CORAL Triangle Regional Manager Naneng Setiasih: the largest archipelago in the world with 17,500 islands, Indonesia also has the highest marine biodiversity in the world, including migratory species like the manta ray. Indonesia recently declared three million square kilometers of its seas as a manta sanctuary.… Continue Reading →
When Don Acheson visited Roatan, Honduras, six years ago he was dismayed to see “a lot of algae on the reef … and very little elkhorn or staghorn coral; very few anemones, sea urchins, or sea cucumbers; and very few mollusks or even empty shells.” Fast forward to 2013, when Don decided to visit Roatan… Continue Reading →
May 22 is International Day for Biological Diversity—and this year, the focus is on island biodiversity. Since most of our project sites are located on islands, we thought we’d celebrate this holiday with a deeper dive into what makes life on these places so interesting. Isolated from their mainland counterparts, island plants and animals evolve… Continue Reading →
Scientific research has great potential to inform conservation efforts. All too often, however, scientific results that could be useful languish on library shelves (or get lost in the cloud) instead. Some researchers make concerted efforts to address real-world questions, but these attempts frequently fail because the researchers do not fully understand what kind of information… Continue Reading →
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 →