I’d like to let you in on a secret: the news from coral reefs isn’t good. But there is hope and solutions, and we have a plan to give coral reefs the help they need–and deserve!

Visiting a healthy reef can be a life-changing experience. It was for me. Even now, every time I splash down I’m amazed by all the movement, color, and sounds of life that calls it home. Coral reefs account for only about 0.2% of the seafloor, but their diversity rivals our rainforests, and more than one quarter of all marine species rely on them at some point in their lifetime.

Reefs are also critical to humans. About 1 billion of us depend on reefs for our food, security, and livelihoods. The goods and services they provide are estimated to be worth $2.6 trillion annually.

But, as you know, coral reefs are in trouble. About half have disappeared, just in our lifetimes. Do you know how much of Florida’s coral reefs remain? 50%, 25%, 10%? Unfortunately lower. Just 2% of Florida's original coral cover is still alive today! Development, pollution, climate change, disease, and many other stresses have destroyed these biodiverse, productive, and beautiful ecosystems.

There is hope, and we have a plan.

To help coral reefs, we are taking a cue from the reefs themselves. Just as hundreds of reef species interweave to create one of Earth’s most intricate living tapestries, we are knitting together biologists, chemists, physicists, engineers, students, and more to tackle the diverse problems that reefs face. Together, we are working to:

• Apply the most advanced ocean science and engineering to expand our understanding of coral reefs and the threats they face
• Design and deploy innovative robotics and new tools to monitor reef health and provide early detection of stress and decline
• Develop solutions to help rebuild impacted reefs and protect threatened reefs
• Collaborate with local communities, partners, and reef experts to scale up knowledge and apply field-tested solutions
• Raise awareness of the coral crisis and develop a worldwide community of reef allies committed to helping reefs

At WHOI, we are jumping into action, to do what we can, to give reefs a chance.