It is fitting that we named the levels of giving by the various types of coral because of what is happening to our reefs today. Reef ecosystems are facing multiple stresses from pollution, overfishing, and, overall, ongoing climate change― rising seawater temperatures causing coral bleaching worldwide. 

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But, here at the FCOLC, we are entering a new phase of programming centered not only on the health of corals but across the full spectrum of the marine ecosystem that will help corals thrive. Corals are living organisms that need our protection. The FCOLC is working toward solutions that will impact the marine ecosystem. We have launched a pilot program in Florida that will provide the foundational work for the coral resiliency and educational programming we are planning in Curaçao.

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In addition, the FCOLC continues the management of our sea turtle conservation and women empowerment program in Nicaragua, with an increase this past nesting season of an additional 3,000 hatchlings released back to the ocean, to total 30,000! We have grown our awareness and practice of marine conservation across two locations and have now reached over 4,500 people living in the villages, including the women managing our program with the young teens and girls, as well as our university partners and local volunteers. To support the success of the women’s ecotourism operations we held 27 business skills workshops, and all this despite the pandemic!

Education, awareness, and taking action for our ocean are all activities the FCOLC offers through our Ocean Discovery curriculum for grades Kindergarten to 8th grade; and our numerous marine debris and beach cleanups, as well as our reforestation projects around the globe set the stage for educating the next generation of ocean stewards. To date, we have removed 7,710 pounds of debris and planted 33,000 mangroves with more plantings scheduled. We have engaged, in person, with over 900 volunteers since 2019 and it is our hope we instilled that human-ocean connection that Fabien tells us will inspire us to think differently about our ocean.