Giving Bonaire’s Reef
a Helping Hand

We protect and restore coral reefs in Bonaire by developing
new and innovative ways to restore reefs that are supported
by research collaborations and shared worldwide.

Dedicated to restoring Bonaire’s coral reefs

Since 2012, Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire has been dedicated to restoring Bonaire’s coral reefs through innovative coral nurseries and restoration techniques. Guided by our key priorities, we continue to restore multiple coral species, educate people from around the world about how they can help, and use the latest science and research to guide and shape our techniques.

Our techniques

We assist the recovery of deteriorated coral reef areas in Bonaire, using active coral restoration as a strategy to preserve and enhance the population of coral species.

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Coral Fragmentation

Coral propagation by fragmentation is a coral reef restoration technique that is based on the asexual reproduction of corals. It allows us to harness the natural process of fragmentation to propagate large numbers of corals.

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Larval Propagation

We use coral sexual reproduction as a coral reef restoration method. This method increases the genetic diversity of corals on reefs scales up the number of corals we can outplant.

Do you want to get involved with coral restoration?

Have you ever wished you could give something back to the underwater world that has provided you with beautiful and fun experiences since the moment you learned to dive? Are you ready to dive for a worthy cause?

Thousands of corals are propagated through fragmentation and larval rearing techniques and strategically outplanted later to local degraded reefs on Bonaire, promoting genetic diversity.

Photo by Lorenzo Mittiga

Want to help?

The Adopt A Coral program is designed to provide a tangible way to engage in Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire’s restoration efforts. When adopting through the program, you are directly funding the restoration of Bonaire’s reefs.

Every coral counts in our mission to restore the reefs

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Corals outplanted

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Restoration sites

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Coral nursery capacity

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Restored area (m2)

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Our coral species

Last updated: February 2023

News

Get to Know Our Team: Francesca Virdis
  Francesca Virdis Chief Operating Officer Francesca Virdis has played an integral role in coral restoration efforts on Bonaire since 2010, 2 years before the inception of Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire. Over the last decade, she’s spearheaded the growth of the organization from just 2 small nurseries to 13, not to mention almost 20 restoration ...

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Revealing the Unique Genetic Fingerprint of Corals through Genotypic Analysis
By Allie Blanchette About 25 different genotypes of staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) and 30 genotypes of elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) are raised in Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire’s (RRFB) nurseries before eventually being outplanted onto the reef. Florida State University PhD candidate Allie Blanchette teamed up with RRFB to conduct genetic analysis on A. cervicornis and ...

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Outplanting a Boulder, More Resilient Reef
For the first time ever, RRFB has outplanted 3 species of boulder coral back to Bonaire’s reefs: lobed star coral (Orbicella annularis), mountainous star coral (Orbicella faveolata), and great star coral (Montastraea cavernosa). In late 2022, we began outplanting boulder coral fragments that were propagated via fragmentation almost 2 years prior and reared in nurseries. ...

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Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire is a non-profit, non-governmental organization located in Bonaire. We have an official ANBI-status as designated by the Dutch Tax Administration (RSIN 825690468), and are accredited as a CAF America Validated Organization. Our Fiscal Identification Number is 303074802.