our Current Campaign
Mil corales por Costa Rica / A thousand corals for Costa Rica:
Raising Coral was successful in meeting its goal to propagate 1000 corals (multiple species) and plant them to help recover reef sites in Golfo Dulce. But the work continues with more corals, more restored reefs, and a new project in the Caribbean - check our latest updates.
UPDATE APR, 2021:
New Pilot Nursery in Cahuita National Park. Thanks to Fundecooperación, additional support from GIZ, and the enthusiastic manpower of Cahuita National Park personnel and community, we successfully planned and deployed two underwater structures as part of a pilot nursery in Cahuita National Park.
UPDATE Jan, 2021:
Thank you, Fundecooperación! Raising Coral was granted a year of funding from Fundecooperación to develop ways to increase the sustainability of coral reef restoration effort. Of course, this means engaging people from the surrounding communities. Our goal is to train local divers to be coral gardeners and marine guides and to develop a “responsible restoration tour” for the Golfo Dulce restoration effort. In addition, we will begin a new pilot restoration program in Cahuita National Park on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.
UPDATE Nov, 2020:
Red Tide. After 7 months of recovery following the bleaching event in March 2020, our team noticed a color change in the water at the nursery to a green-gold hue. This continued to worsen in October and November and it was clearly due to an algal bloom commonly called a “red tide” (“marea roja” in Spanish) that was affecting many parts of Golfo Dulce and the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. At its peak, the impact on the corals in the nursery was obvious and best described as a “burning” of the tissue wherever the particles of the red tide settled onto the coral. Corals at the outplant sites were not affected, but in the nursery, nearly 20% died. The good news was that those corals that did survive showed a remarkable recovery.
UPDATE MAY, 2020:
Recovery. As the COVID-19 Pandemic locked down the world, the Golfo Dulce corals began their recovery. The bleaching event delayed normal operations for 3 months, but by May it was clear that the corals were recovering. In the Golfo Dulce nursery, about 9% of the fragments had died - most of these were small, as they had been fragmented and place in the nursery in January, and most were from the same two donors. Fragments from the remaining 14 donors did much better. We found similar results at the outplant sites, where 10% of the corals had died. The bleaching event was difficult but Mother Nature pointed out some important differences in the corals. This is what we need to know to restore responsibly, and to help speed the natural processes of recovery and adaptation.
UPDATE Mar, 2020:
Coral bleaching. Between January and March, 2020, the waters between Quepos and the Panamá border, including in Golfo Dulce, began to warm significantly. In February, the corals began to bleach throughout the gulf. It was alarming to see the bright white patches of severely bleached corals along the coast during the boat ride from one site to another. These bleaching events are expected, but they’re never fun. RCCR mobilized in early March to collect as much information we could, including photographs of hundreds of corals with “bleaching cards” (color-coded cards to measure the level of bleaching), and taking coral tissue samples from nursery fragments for genetics analysis. Even before we do the genetics analysis, it was clear that fragments from some donor colonies (the original colony in the wild from which we obtained a few fragments for propagation) were faring well, while fragments originating from other donors were not. So far, the corals in the Papagayo nursery were still spared from bleaching.
Update Dec, 2019:
Outplanting success! This was our first attempt to outplant a lot of corals per month. In a single day, the team planted a total of 95 Pocillopora colonies, divided between two outplant sites. We are now entering the season when the corals grow fastest, and we are excited that we have 100’s of healthy corals in our nursery, waiting their turn to be outplanted to the reef.
The children’s book “Los Corales Mágicos” written by Lara Ríos and illustrated by Vicky Ramos was recommended by Costa Rica’s Viceminister of Academia (Melania Brenes Monge) as suggested reading for First Cycle students . Congratulations to Lara and Vicky!
Update Nov, 2019:
We are delighted to thank the Heinz Family Foundation for granting us the funds to hold a workshop on genetics for coral restoration, and conduct sampling to determine the genetic diversity in our nurseries and reef sites. RCCR is working closely with our members and colleagues at CIMAR, University of Costa Rica, to train our team, students, and others sampling, analysis, and how to apply the data in guide our restoration efforts. THANK YOU to Teresa Heinz and the Heinz Family Foundation!
Update Oct, 2019:
RCCR has been expanding the underwater nursery in Golfo Dulce with additional coral trees and line nurseries. This month we passed a milestone of 1000 corals fragments, and by January we will begin outplanting 100 corals every month.
Update Sep, 2019:
Fundecooperación announced they are providing support to RCCR which will help us reach our campaign goals and beyond. RCCR sends a huge thanks to Laura Porra, Carolina Reyes, and Marianalia Fioli Peña for their help in making this happen!
The Campaign Kickoff:
Our Campaign kicked off on March 8, 2019 at the Cine Magaly in San Jose, with a premiere of the documentary "Simbiosis" by Costa Rica’s film company Pelagos, which follows the Raising Coral team, both above and below the water in their coral nursery and on the reef. The Campaign also included the release of the beautiful children’s book “Los Corales Mágicos,” by Costa Rican author Lara Rios, and an exhibit of photographs and art by well-known Costa Rican artists and photographers.
The Campaign Schedule:
Nursery expansion and coral fragmentation is beginning now, and within a year, at least 1000 corals will be outplanted to select reef sites. The newly planted coral communities will be monitored for several years.
Cost of the Campaign:
US$ 35.000. The cost of this campaign also includes outfitting and training a few local workers to help with nursery maintenance. The more funds we have, the more corals we will grow, and the more locals we can train.
Strategic Partners:
The Campaign will be financed with tax deductible donations from corporations and private donors. If you wish to contribute to this cause, you can donate here.
“SIMBIOSIS”:
The group PELAGOS produced the beautiful film “Simbiosis: Un documental sobre humanos y corales” about our project, which premiered on March 8, 2019 in San Jose, Costa Rica. It is currently being rendered with english subtitles and will be made available for further screenings within a few weeks. In the meantime, you can see the trailer below, and check here for information about how you can view the full documentary, or show it in your community or school. It is a great educational tool about corals and coral reef ecosystems, their declining state, and what we can do about it.
