Closeup of schools of different types of fish, including bright yellow striped fish and larger gray fish, swimming in a coral reef. — Florida Coral Reef Schooling fish in the Florida Keys. © Rachel Hancock Davis

Florida’s Spectacular Coral Reef System

Protecting reefs and expanding restoration efforts through science and collaboration.

August 28, 2022 | Last updated June 16, 2025

Coral reefs are under threat. From coral reef disease in Florida and the Caribbean to bleaching events fueled by rising sea temperatures, scientists estimate that unless we take immediate action, we could lose up to 90% of coral reefs within our lifetimes.

That’s why The Nature Conservancy works to champion the protection, restoration, monitoring and management of reefs across the globe. Coral restoration has grown from a single-species pilot project in 2004 to a large-scale operation to restore ecosystem balance to Florida’s Coral Reef and reefs around the world.

TNC is a key connector and scientific resource, offering our conservation partners science-based methods for protecting and restoring coral reefs. TNC has scientists and practitioners in the water across the planet, and we offer global training opportunities for reef managers through TNC’s Reef Resilience Network.

In Florida, we work with partners like NOAA, FWC, FDEP and the various restoration practitioners. We also work in collaborations like the Florida’s Coral Reef Resilience Program and with global groups like the Coral Restoration Consortium.

Colorful Coral Around the World

**Exumas, Bahamas** Yellow fish swim along the reef. © Gabriella Gerbasi/TNC Photo Contest 2021

**Virgin Islands** Brain coral reveals a variety of colors.. © John Melendez

**Dominican Republic** Elkhorn and boulder coral on the reef at Del Este National Park which lies along the southeastern coast of the Dominican Republic. © Jeff Yonover

**Bangka Island, Indonesia** A diversity of corals, echinoderms, sponges, and other life compete for space and plankton on the reefs surrounding Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean. © Ethan Daniels

Coral Restoration Consortium

The Coral Restoration Consortium (CRC) aims to provide a community to share knowledge and bring together a global network of scientists, decision-makers, reef managers and coral restoration practitioners, all united by the mission to restore coral reefs worldwide.

TNC recently co-authored the Coral Restoration Consortium (CRC)'s Guide to Coral Reef Restoration. The guide helps global coral reef practitioners as they develop and scale field-based restoration programs. The guide shares global coral reef successes, highlighting lessons learned that scientists around the world can learn and use.

The CRC’s Guide to Coral Reef Restoration represents years of work and findings from our TNC experts in Florida, along with global scientists from Australia, Belize, the Caribbean, Colombia, Fiji, Saudi Arabia and other countries.

Florida's Coral Reef Underwater photo of Florida's Coral Reef with a scuba diver. © Rachel Hancock Davis

The science-based guidance combined with decades of team experience makes for an excellent and easy to read roadmap to bringing back our coral reefs.

Christine Shepard

Director of Science, Gulf Program

Guide to Coral Reef Restoration

The guide dives into the factors and methods to consider for coral propagation, restoration site selection, nursery operations and coral harvesting.

Download the Guide

Florida's Coral Reef

Florida's Coral Reef is the largest coral reef ecosystem in the continental U.S., with its extensive shallow coral reefs spanning 358 miles from the Dry Tortugas near Key West, north along the Atlantic coast to Martin County. Science-based management practices and careful stewardship are critical to ensure the reefs’ healthy future. 

A small striped fish swims over a large, yellow coral.

Fish swim above various coral in blue water.

Florida’s Coral Reef Resilience Program

Florida’s Coral Reef Resilience Program is leading an effort to make Florida’s Coral Reef healthier and more resilient to natural disturbance events.

The Florida Reef Resilience Program published a Resilience Action Plan for Florida's Coral Reef in 2021. The Resilience Action Plan identifies actions that should be implemented by reef managers, policymakers and reef users to improve the health of the reefs, with a significant focus on restoration efforts.

Florida’s Coral Reef Resilience Program (FCRRP) is the result of a merger between the TNC-led Florida Reef Resilience Program and the state’s disease response effort.

It is a partnership between TNC and: Biscayne National Park, Broward County, Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Martin County, Miami-Dade County, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Nova Southeastern University, Palm Beach County, and University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences.

Coral Reef Win: Kristin Jacobs Aquatic Preserve

The Kristin Jacobs Coral Aquatic Preserve was officially established on July 1, 2024. A success 20 years in the making, the designation represents TNC’s tireless efforts to provide the maximum level of state protection for 105 miles of Florida’s most northern Coral Reef. These protected waters connect reef tracts from St. Lucie inlet south to the federally protected Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The Coral Aquatic Preserve is part of the only barrier reef system in the continental United States and is home to more than 6,000 species of marine life including fish, sea turtles, stony corals, gorgonians, sponges and other critical marine species. 

TNC and partners developed a restoration strategy for the state to identify priority focal areas for restoration where, based on the best available science, the outplants are most likely to contribute to the system's recovery. We are now wrapping up a more detailed plan for restoration within the aquatic preserve in collaboration with FDEP, FWC, and Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Martin counties.

Coral Restoration at Work in Florida

**The Challenge** Coral reefs have been in decline since the 1970s due to a number of stressors; some still exist and some have been reduced. Live coral cover is currently less than 10%. © Rachel Hancock Davis/TNC

**Stony Coral Tissue Loss** A disease which affects about half of the species found on Florida’s Coral Reef has caused an additional dramatic decline over the past eight years. © Jennifer Stein/TNC

**The Solution** Many organizations throughout Florida are working in partnership to help jump-start reef recovery by propagating corals and outplanting them to degraded sites. © Rachel Hancock Davis/TNC

**Coral Nursery** Most coral restoration efforts to date have focused on the fast-growing staghorn and elkhorn corals. However, practitioners are expanding to focus on a more holistic approach. © Caitlin Lustic/TNC

**Staghorn Coral** Corals are grown and propagated in a controlled setting to allow for monitoring of bleaching and disease susceptibility and growth. © Caitlin Lustic/TNC

**OUTPLANTING** Corals grown in nurseries are then attached to the reef using a number of different methods. © Rachel Hancock Davis/TNC

**GENETIC DIVERSITY** Corals of many different genetic strains are outplanted on each reef to encourage natural re-seeding of surrounding reefs. © Rachel Hancock Davis/TNC

All About Coral Reefs

Our treasured coral reefs provide Florida with many benefits. Not only are they home to many species of marine life— including species listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act — they are also integral to Florida’s economy, supporting our tourism industry and commercial and recreational fisheries. Additionally, they act as a natural buffer for Florida’s shoreline, helping to reduce the power of waves and provide natural support for coastal resilience.

Coral reef communities are sensitive to threats that are linked to human actions, including pollutants that impact the health of the ecosystem and our commercial and recreational uses of the reef. Science-based management practices and careful stewardship are critical to ensure the reefs’ healthy future. 

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