In crystalline waters, colorful mounds and thickets of living coral support an underwater rainforest of vibrant fishes, crabs, lobsters, sea turtles, and untapped resources such as new sources of medicine. On many of Earth’s coral reefs, that’s how it used to be. Climate change, disease, pollution and other challenges have brought many coral populations to the brink of functional extinction.
Mote Marine Laboratory scientists are dedicated to restoring our paradise lost. We have planted hundreds of thousands of corals onto Florida’s Coral Reef, tested new treatments for worldwide coral diseases, and above all, pioneered efforts to grow, breed, stress-test and preserve thousands of native genetic varieties of corals to ensure that restored reefs carry resilience in their very DNA.
