Protecting and restoring our coral reefs is not just a call to save the world’s natural beauty or diversity, rather it is crucial to human survival. Over half a billion people rely on coral reefs for food and financial security. On top of that, more than two-thirds of the oxygen that we breathe comes from the ocean — most of which is produced by corals. In fact, research conducted and corroborated by the United Nations, the Global Seafood Alliance, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that based on current trends, by the year 2050 some 90 percent of the world's coral populations may disappear. This threat is especially evident in the Caribbean, where populations of Acropora corals have taken a significant hit. Historically, they formed the majority of the “shell” that makes up Caribbean reefs. But they have been in rapid decline since the 1980s.
