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Over the past few days Fragments of Hope, Belize has been in San Pedro working with the Hol Chan team furthering the collaborative work between the two organizations that started back in December 2020. We want to thank Lisa Barbara and her team for coming all this way from Placencia. We look forward to the next few months as lots will
be going on with coral restoration within Hol Chan and our neighboring reserves (Bacalar Chico and Caye Caulker)
Hol Chan Marine Reserve









Rainbow parrot fish, a few surviving pillar corals (!) & thriving staghorn corals got us excited in San Pedro!

Fragments of Hope:
Thanks to UN Environment Programme we will move forward with restoration work started up here in 2020!

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Fragments of Hope returns to access San Pedro's thriving coral nurseries

Lisa Came is the founding director of Fragments of Hope and has become a globally recognized coral restoration expert through years of hard work, dedication, and persistence. She first came to San Pedro with the idea of sharing the knowledge she gained from early coral restoration success at Laughing Bird Caye. A couple of small nurseries were set up in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve using an experimental method- frames are constructed using rebar, then coral fragments are suspended within the frame using ropes. The idea was to measure the growth rate of the nursery-grown corals and compare it to the progress they observed in southern Belize. Unfortunately, the actual physical material of the frames dissolved quickly for unknown reasons. She believes it may have been the quality of the material sourced from the local hardware. However, similar nursery frames still stand in her southern sites even 10+ years after installation.

Hol Chan and the San Pedro Tour Operator Association installed coral nursery trials using PVC-based techniques. But there was never out-planting of corals and very limited follow-through. "We were busy in southern Belize, and Hol Chan had a zillion other things to take care of," says Lisa. "The lesson learned is that growing corals requires long-term planning and funding. It is obvious that people initiate coral restoration projects with good intentions, but the fast-growing corals are endangered species that require proper monitoring." Today, the nursery-grown corals have been used to replenish sites in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve and the Caye Caulker Marine Reserve. They grow slower than those observed in southern Belize, but there is hope and renewed momentum. The nurseries will continue to provide a source of fragments to replenish degraded reefs in years to come. "The new nurseries verify that coral restoration works, but there is a need to step up the efforts. Everyone needs to be on board and have a consolidated long-term plan," concludes Lisa.

Click here to read the rest of the article in the San Pedro Sun

Why is the Belize Barrier Reef one of the most successful coral restoration projects in the world?

In Belize, community-based conservation is empowering local tour guides, fishermen and volunteers with the skills and resources needed to save the Belize Barrier Reef.

Co-ordinated by the Belize-based non-profit Fragments of Hope, the coastal community of Placencia Village in Stann Creek District, southern Belize, has spent over a decade planting hundreds of thousands of fragments of coral amongst hurricane-ravaged reefs.

Guides, fishers, divers and snorkellers are trained to plant coral and monitor its development under a community-focused system that's seen coral coverage in protected areas off the coast of Placencia rebound from 6 per cent to 60 per cent.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of the article on Euronews.com

Today, we dive into the vibrant and awe-inspiring world of coral reefs, recognizing their immense beauty and the urgent need to protect them. As a part of our research and monitoring activities at Hol Chan Marine Reserve we have been collaborating with Fragments of Hope to do coral restoration within the reserve. With their guidance and expertise, we have set up two nurseries; Zone D (Shark Ray Alley) and Zone H (Mexico Rocks) and have recently outplanted corals from the nurseries unto specific areas on the reef. Such activity is an adaptation method to combat coral diseases, climate change and the many other threats corals face. Other activities on corals conducted through the research and monitoring department includes coral surveys to check on health, coral cover and growth, algal cover and as well as storm assessments. All efforts are done to monitor and safeguard our coral reef ecosystem which then sustains many livelihoods!! Let us all be mindful of our actions that can negatively affect coral reefs!!


Click photos for more pictures!