Aerial Mapping Program Launched to Help Care for Caribbean Coral Reef

The Nature Conservancy in the Caribbean, Carnegie Institution for Science, and Planet have together launched an aerial mapping program to map the shallow waters of the entire Caribbean Basin, in order to plan for coral reef restoration and protection.

Reportedly, much of the Caribbean lacks accurate maps of the reefs, which is a gap this partnership aims to fill in. Once completed, the data and maps collected will be shared with governments, conservation partners, and regional stakeholders to inform them of ways to improve protection and restoration efforts.

“This advanced technology offers hope for vulnerable reefs, the marine wildlife that inhabits them, and the people whose livelihoods depend on them,” writes the The Nature Conservancy in a blog post.

Photo: Marjo Aho.