Coral: Critical to Ocean Health
At the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, a new initiative, the Coral Reef Breakthrough, showcased its effort to protect one of the world’s most diverse yet most vulnerable ecosystems. The Coral Reef Breakthrough has rallied 40 countries to pledge $12 billion toward protecting and restoring 125,000 km of shallow-water tropical coral reefs — rapidly accelerating international coral reef conservation.
Protecting coral reefs is vital to maintaining ocean health; despite covering just .01% of the ocean, coral reefs are the most biodiverse marine ecosystem in the world. Built from calcium carbonate and limestone, the skeletal marine species provides shelter and food to more than 4,000 types of fish and one million other aquatic species. Globally, coral reefs are a boon for tourism and fishing-based economies. In the United States, coral reefs are responsible for the commercial value of U.S. fisheries reaching over $100 million and generating billions more from tourism.
Unfortunately, with rising ocean temperatures, ocean acidification, the devastating spread of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), and poor stewardship, reefs are dying at an alarming rate. Of the 840 different species of coral, many are considered critically endangered, and in the last 15 years, more than 30% of the world’s coral reefs have died.
At Moore Charitable, our grantees are working diligently to slow and prevent the extinction of coral reefs by leading community projects, pioneering research, and promoting conservation legislation.
In Panama, the Islas Secas Foundation is partnering with:
- El Centro de Incidencia Ambiental (CIAM Panama), which successfully helped pass Panama’s first coral reef conservation law in May 2022.
- The University of Panama CCMBIO Lab, which is evaluating and monitoring the health of the coral reefs in Pacific Panama.
The Moore Bahamas Foundation is working with:
- The Perry Institute of Marine Science, which has established a SCTLD task force and the Reef Rescue Network (RRN) to reduce the spread of the disease, save infected coral colonies, and establish facilities for rescue and propagation.
- Coral Vita, a community-based operation that works to protect threatened ecosystems by using cutting-edge methods to grow climate change-resilient coral up to 50 times faster than traditional methods.
We are proud to partner with each of these organizations and help them lead the fight to save the coral reefs that are vital to preserving a healthy and biodiverse ocean. Learn more about what Moore Charitable partners are doing to bolster ocean health.
