Background

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The magic, allure, and prosperity of South Florida is intrinsically tied to coral reefs and the ecological, economic, and societal services they provide. Billions of dollars in food, jobs, recreational opportunities, coastal protection, and other important goods stem from coral reef ecosystems.

Coral reef populations have experienced significant declines over past decades, however, to the point where several reef-building species in the Caribbean are now listed as threatened. These declines have been driven by both local (i.e. pollution, overfishing) and global stressors (i.e. climate change).

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Because of this, active reef restoration has expanded exponentially to help recover degraded coral populations and the ecological services associated with healthy and complex reefs.

Rescue a Reef utilizes these methodologies to catalyze the resources and enthusiasm of highly motivated citizen scientists from our community to help rebuild the health and resilience of South Florida’s coral reefs.

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Why "Rescue a Reef" (Simone Nix)