Raising Coral Costa Rica
Raising Coral Costa Rica is a nonprofit group dedicated to the restoration of coral reefs in Costa Rica.
Finding Hope in the Heat
Raising Coral Costa Rica is reestablishing Costa Rican reefs with a holistic approach to sustain the health of the reef ecosystems and the people that depend on them. We can’t stress the people aspect enough – it has been key to our success with restoration on both coasts of Costa Rica.
Another key aspect has been our partnership with Mars Sustainable Solutions, who supported us with funding and patiently trained us to build and implement the Mars Assisted Reef Restoration System (MARRS). The Reef Stars have been great for expanding our work, but even more so, for the corals that thrive on them.
The Challenge
The next few months are likely to be challenging for coral reefs globally. The climate has shifted rapidly from a La Niña or “cool” phase to El Niño or “warm” phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The unfortunate truth is that the La Niña that persisted between 2021–2023 has been anything but cool, with ocean temperatures higher than they have been for years. And now on top of this arrives El Niño, which is already affecting coral reefs in many locations in the Caribbean.
We and many others involved in reef restoration head into this year with concern but also determination because we knew from the start that we will have years like this. Part of our determination draws from the confidence we have gained in our experience with the Mars Assisted Reef Restoration System (MARRS). Raising Coral, Costa Rica has come to greatly appreciate the flexibility the MARRS reef stars offer in restoration and in obtaining standardized scientific information. While it is essential to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions, we must simultaneously help sustain coral reefs until we do.
Reef Stars installed by Raising Coral Costa Rica
