Page 709 - Visitor Guides

Last year the
Coral Restoration
Foundation (CRF)
was invited to as-
sist the local coral
reef restoration
group on Bonaire
Ken Nedimyer
in the southern
Caribbean. In early February, the
Bonaire Island Council granted a per-
mit to the local group to allow work to
begin on developing a nursery and Environment
restoration program on the main is-
land of Bonaire and adjacent island of
Klein Bonaire. Ken Nedimyer, CRF
Board member, Denise Nedimyer, and
the CRF staff traveled to these islands
in the Netherland Antilles during
April and began work on the Bonaire
Reef Pilot Project with Buddy Dive
Resort staff and resources.
In addition to working with local
Bonaire authorities and dive profes-
sionals to identify specific sites for
coral nurseries and reef outplantings,
CRF together with the Bonaire CORAL RESTORATION FOUNDATION

National Marine Park and Buddy
Dive Resort staff volunteers collected ON BONAIRE @ BUDDY DIVE
different genetic strains of staghorn
(Acropora cervicornis) and elkhorn
(Acropora palmata) coral. These spec-
imens were used to populate coral
growing “trees” in two coral nurser-
ies. These corals are monitored and
maintained by the local support
group at Buddy Dive Resort trained The main coral nursery is located
by CRF and is forming the base nurs- off of Klein Bonaire, where there is lim-
ery stock, fragmented every six ited public access and minimal distur-
months, to develop second and third bance for the growing corals. The
generation corals in each genetic sub- second nursery is situated on the
group. In late 2013, these second and main island of Bonaire and consists of
third generation corals will be taken two installations at Buddy’s Reef,
from the nursery and outplanted onto north and south. Nursery “trees” were
nearby degraded reefs. placed before the drop-off at a depth
CRF's goals in Bonaire are to as- of 6 meters and are being used as
sist the local government and local en- training and demonstration nurseries.
vironmentalists to preserve the exist- The north and south installations are
ing genetic diversity of staghorn and accessible to volunteers from the
elkhorn corals, establish a nursery dock at Buddy Dive Resort. In the
and restoration program designed to classroom by the dock volunteers
restore the shallow reefs, and to work take part in an orientation followed
with the community to identify and re- by a practice session in cleaning of
duce land-based stressors, such as un- the nursery before heading over by
Check out our Buddy Dive Facebook page for up- controlled storm water runoff and boat to the main nursery on Klein to
dates on the growth progress at our coral gar- poor sewage treatment practices. work on maintenance there.
dens.
/
Bonaire, divers paradise 23