Coral reefs are among the most extraordinary ecosystems on Earth. Though they cover less than one percent of the ocean floor, they support more than a quarter of all marine life and hold an estimated global value of $9.9 trillion through tourism, fisheries, coastal protection, and recreation. Yet in just a few short decades, climate change has wiped out nearly half of the planet's reefs.
The crisis is daunting, but it is not without hope. Around the world, scientists, communities, and conservationists are joining forces to turn the tide. The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) stands at the forefront of that movement, and we are proud to count them among our grant partners.
A Mission Rooted in Collaboration
Founded in 1994 to rally the dive community around conservation, CORAL has grown from a grassroots alliance into a globally respected organization. Their philosophy is simple but powerful: the best way to save coral reefs is to work alongside the people who depend on them most. From Hawaii to Honduras, Fiji to Indonesia, CORAL's strategies weave together science, partnership, and policy.
In Puako, Hawaii, they collaborate with university researchers on dye tracer studies that map how wastewater from cesspools flows into the ocean. In Indonesia, their PhotoVoices project empowers local residents to document conservation priorities through their own lenses. In Fiji, a voluntary dive fee at the Namena Marine Reserve has funded community infrastructure and put more than 200 students through school. In Honduras, advocacy efforts helped designate Cordelia Banks and Tela Bay as new Sites of Wildlife Importance. And in the Mesoamerican Region, CORAL backs partners like Amigos de Roatán Marine Park in patrolling and protecting critical marine areas.
Recharging Maui's Coral Reefs
Of all CORAL's initiatives, one in particular captured our hearts: the Recharge Maui Coral Reef project. Maui's degraded watershed ecosystems are responsible for some of the most severe coastal water pollution in all of the Hawaiian Islands — pollution that threatens the very reefs that define the island's beauty and biodiversity.
In 2019, the J.W. Couch Foundation provided match funding to support the construction of a groundbreaking water purification park just steps from the famous Ka'anapali resort district. Designed to harness the site's natural sloped topography, the park will feature up to eight stepped retention and infiltration ponds that function as constructed wetlands. Habitat islands will welcome birds and wildlife, while native plants and trees will educate visitors about Hawaiian culture and ecology.
The result is more than a filtration system. It is a living landscape — one that protects the offshore reef, welcomes tourists and locals alike, and sets a new standard for how Maui communities can safeguard the ocean at their doorstep.
A Model for the World
Climate change is overwhelming. No single government, organization, or community can solve it alone. But every meaningful solution begins somewhere — with a single watershed, a single reef, a single community willing to act.
That belief, at the heart of CORAL's work, is what makes this project so inspiring. By investing in Maui, we are investing in a blueprint — one that other coastal communities around the globe can adapt and adopt. The reefs of tomorrow depend on the partnerships we build today, and we are honored to stand alongside the Coral Reef Alliance in this vital work.
