Coral Reef Alliance
Encyclopedia
The Coral Reef Alliance is a nonprofit organization
based in San Francisco, California
, that partners with local reef communities around the world to protect coral reefs. CORAL was founded in Berkeley
, California, in 1994 by Stephan Colwell,
And is currently headed by Brian Huse.
With 19% of the world's coral reefs already destroyed and another 35% at immediate risk or threatened due to human pressures,
Organizations like CORAL are addressing an urgent need in the global ecosystem
.
As of 2007, CORAL has 16 employees and 8 international project sites around the world: the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System
--spanning Mexico
, Belize
, Guatemala
, and Honduras
-- as well as Hawaii
, Fiji
, and the archipelago
of Raja Ampat, Indonesia
. The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) is the only international organization working exclusively to unite communities to protect our planet’s coral reefs.
, and community partnerships.
documentary entitled The Visionaries, filmed on Palau Island
, Micronesia. The show documented CORAL's work to promote coral reef conservation and was distributed to 175 television markets across the country to be aired four times throughout each market. The year 2009 marked the 15 year anniversary for the Coral Reef Alliance.
, Fiji
, Belize
, Honduras
, Mexico
, and some states of the United States
. The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) is the only international organization working exclusively to unite communities to protect our planet’s coral reefs.
and confrontations to protect marine wildlife. CORAL promotes conservation through our Coral Reef Sustainable Destination (CRSD) approach, a holistic model that combines marine protected area (MPA) management and sustainable business operation for community benefit. CORAL's efforts groups have been focusing their attention to the Coral Triangle just south of Micronesia. Their protest has included protests against fish poaching
, destruction of coral reefs, chemical and trash dumps into the coastal area. CORAL's active leaders have resolute in maintaining a peaceful standpoint in attempt to avoid violent confrontations.
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
based in San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, that partners with local reef communities around the world to protect coral reefs. CORAL was founded in Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, California, in 1994 by Stephan Colwell,
And is currently headed by Brian Huse.
With 19% of the world's coral reefs already destroyed and another 35% at immediate risk or threatened due to human pressures,
Organizations like CORAL are addressing an urgent need in the global ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
.
As of 2007, CORAL has 16 employees and 8 international project sites around the world: the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System
Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System
The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System stretches over 1000 km from Isla Contoy at the tip of the Yucatán Peninsula down to the Bay Islands of Honduras...
--spanning Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, and Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
-- as well as Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, and the archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
of Raja Ampat, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) is the only international organization working exclusively to unite communities to protect our planet’s coral reefs.
Mission statement
The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) is a member-supported nonprofit organization, dedicated to keeping coral reefs alive by integrating ecosystem management, sustainable tourismSustainable tourism
Sustainable tourism is tourism attempting to make a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate future employment for local people. The aim of sustainable tourism is to ensure that development brings a positive experience for local people, tourism companies and the...
, and community partnerships.
History
The organization was founded in 1994 in Berkeley, California by Stephan Colwell. The Coral Reef Alliance, better known as CORAL was founded in attempt the slow the destruction of coral reefs spread throughout the world. After the first documentation of the significant decline of reefs due to human activities, CORAL was established to engage the diving community to protect the reefs. In 1995 CORAL started their first website to help expand communication and news feed. Shortly after they partnered with the Palau Conservation Society (grant of $72,000) to support protection of Rock Island Marine Park. After a year or two Colwell decided to start a membership program to increase charitable income to help with different activities around the globe. In 1997 the Coral Reef Alliance was selected to appear in a 30-minute PBSPublic Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
documentary entitled The Visionaries, filmed on Palau Island
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
, Micronesia. The show documented CORAL's work to promote coral reef conservation and was distributed to 175 television markets across the country to be aired four times throughout each market. The year 2009 marked the 15 year anniversary for the Coral Reef Alliance.
Organization
The Coral Reef Alliance or CORAL is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. They depend on the support of individual donors, foundations, and corporate and government grants to build grassroots conservation partnerships among local community members, government leaders, and marine recreation providers in seven field locations around the world. CORAL currently has six coral reef locations around the world. Many of Coral's employees are stationed around the world in countries like: IndonesiaIndonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and some states of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) is the only international organization working exclusively to unite communities to protect our planet’s coral reefs.
Activism
The Coral Reef Alliance engages in many different protestProtest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
and confrontations to protect marine wildlife. CORAL promotes conservation through our Coral Reef Sustainable Destination (CRSD) approach, a holistic model that combines marine protected area (MPA) management and sustainable business operation for community benefit. CORAL's efforts groups have been focusing their attention to the Coral Triangle just south of Micronesia. Their protest has included protests against fish poaching
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
, destruction of coral reefs, chemical and trash dumps into the coastal area. CORAL's active leaders have resolute in maintaining a peaceful standpoint in attempt to avoid violent confrontations.