The Coral Restoration Foundation recently announced that the Dutch government had given the organization a one-time funding grant to further develop its activities in Bonaire.
The money has been used to buy a truck dedicated to furthering the foundation’s work on the island. The CRF also wants to buy a boat that would help with its work on the water.
“Another investment the foundation would like to do with the funding is to set up a restoration site accessible to snorkelers at the cruise terminal. By creating awareness and extending accessibility the foundation hopes to involve more tourists, other than only divers. Other individual donations and the ‘Adopt a Coral’ program will stay vital to the further development of the foundation into the future.”
The Dutch funding will allow the foundation to plant 4,000 more corals within the next year at the organization’s four nurseries. Those nurseries currently consist of 70 trees with a hosting capacity of 9,000 corals, with more than 8,000 corals having been transplanted back to the reef.
PADI has also developed a “Coral Restoration Diver” Distinctive Specialty Course to train volunteers, with 350 divers having received their certification.
For more information on the foundation’s activities, check out the CRF website at crfbonaire.org.
