Marine Life

The diverse ecosystem in the coast

Coastal reefs in Puerto Rico

Coral reefs on an island like Puerto Rico life is shaped by close connections. Culture and language nature and people land and sea – all are knitted tightly together into the fabric of the island life. The same can be said about the health of the island's coral reefs which is closely connected to the health of habitats and quality of water throughout the island. Over the past 10 years NFWF has invested about $6 million in conservation projects that benefit Puerto Rico. Those investments have leveraged matching contributions to generate a total conservation impact of about $11.5 million.

Almost half of the investments that NFWF has made in Puerto Rico have been in the area of coral reef conservation. Most of those projects unfold on land often high in the mountains. There at elevations of more than 2000 feet the conservation nonprofit Protectores de Cuencas works to address runoff and sedimentation that flows downstream and negatively affects marine resources including coral reefs.

"It is extremely important to keep the water clean from where it all begins," said Roberto Viqueira Ríos, executive director of Protectores de Cuencas. "It is also important for species such as the Puerto Rican parrot for endemic bird species and for migratory bird species."

Places to dive in Puerto Rico
Follow me on Instagram @watrcolrs

Coded by Natali Rodriguez