WHAT WE DO
Over the past three years, a new coral disease has become one of the deadliest threats to the Florida Reef Tract, wiping out about 50 percent of our coral. We are at the forefront of reversing the damage and restoring the health of our Florida Reef Tract.
OUR MISSION
We are on a mission of coral reef conservation through education, research, and restoration.
EDUCATION
The Reef Institute utilizes the EPA’s Stewardship Continuum to relate all programs back to creating a generation of skilled stewards. Beginning at the awareness stage with touch points through outreach events and ending in stewardship with a greater understanding and appreciation of our environment.
Our educational philosophy is to intentionally move those we teach from merely becoming aware of the plight of coral to becoming a better steward of the ocean at large.
RESEARCH
Palm Beach County is home to many species of hard corals, reef-building organisms that not only protect our coastlines by breaking up wave activity but that create habitat, adding to a greater diversity and abundance of marine organisms off our shores.
With South Florida’s developmental growth, it has become more important to be create a seed bank of coral that once flourished throughout the Florida Reef Tract. The Reef Institute is part of a consortium to ensure the survival of several coral species. We partner with FWC and DEP to help ensure the quality and consistency of our research.
RESTORATION
Shift the Florida Reef Tract’s projected longevity through: researching increased biodiversity through recycled substrate utilization; building partnerships with local schools, businesses, and governments to establish sustainable ordinance; and uniting our next generation to become skilled ocean stewards.
We seed bank endangered and rare coral at our facility to ensure genetic preservation of Caribbean coral species. We also monitor the Peanut Island artificial reefs, creating a baseline database of coral health, growth, and settlement.