The BRANCH Coral Foundation was founded in October 2022. Our work restores and enhances Curaçao’s beautiful coral reefs using a range of restoration techniques. Our goals are built around 3 core pillars. Coral restoration, Education and Working as a Community.
BRANCH grows the endangered staghorn corals in their nurseries all over the island. A nursery consists of a vertical pipe with horizontal branches. Corals hang on these branches and are given all the care they need to grow and flourish. The current number of nursery trees holds the capacity to grow 1200 corals at the time, resulting in outplanting 200 square meters of corals each year. These nurseries are located on the house reefs of partnering dive resorts: Jan Thiel Beach (Scuba Do), Pietermaai (Divecenter Pietermaai), Kokomo (Trunkdivers) and Porto Mari (Porto Mari Sports). Together with these partners, BRANCH created various options for tourists and guests to participate in coral restoration. You could become certified in the PADI BRANCH Coral Restoration Diver Course to learn everything there is to know on coral restoration and sustainable tourism. If you are not a certified diver yet, you could join us on an informative snorkel tour. You can also become a coral parent by adopting a coral from the nursery and receive a necklace with a turtle tracker inside, especially made for BRANCH, by our partner Kukudushi.
BRANCH’s second core pillar is focussed on Education, which is equally important in long term reef restoration. Last year, Max van Aalst, Director of BRANCH, together with Carmabi education, has been giving guest lectures on coral reef ecosystems, waste management, and sustainable ocean practices in many different highschools of Curaçao. New projects in collaboration with Greenkidz and Kolektivo will give more children the chance to get in-field, with hands-on, education on corals and the ecosystem. Everyone completing the BRANCH Coral restoration diver course is invited to become a BRANCH ranger and participate in coral restoration activities.
Working as a team on Curaçao is BRANCH’s third core pillar. By working together with organizations that do good both on land and underwater Curaçao can be made a much better and sustainable island. Besides the previously mentioned partners, BRANCH focuses on combining efforts with many more NGO’s.
Together we will continue fighting for a sustainable future both on land and underwater. If you want to get involved with the work of BRANCH Coral Foundation, you can contact them by sending an email to: max@branchcoralfoundation.com
Donations can be made by contacting BRANCH directly. www.branchcoralfoundation.com