Global Coralition: Dominican Republic (Mini-Documentary)

A mini-documentary following the coral restoration efforts by the Global Coralition team on the cusp of the brewing global pandemic in 2020.

About the project:

“The Dominican Republic has a land area of 48,484 km2, with a coastline of 1,389 km, of this 166 km or 11% are coral reefs. Dominicans recognize the importance of coral reefs as they provide safe ports, shelter, and habitats for biodiversity, food, and beaches. The reefs here are under serious threat from rapid ocean-front development, sedimentation, pollution, hurricanes, and overfishing.

We are building a 14’ tall sculpture of Atabey, the Mother Earth Spirit and Spirit of Horizontal Waters from Taino mythology. She is the beginning of an expansive sculpture garden that is dedicated to coral reef restoration. We are working with a local team of designers and fabricators along with Irka Mateo, a Taino elder, and shaman to design the garden.

We are partnered with local schools here in the Dominican Republic. Some of the students are showing deep curiosity and passion for conservation work. Our local ecological partner, Magua Foundacion, will work with us to empower these children to be the next generation of coral conservationists on the island.

We are prototyping a land-based farm that will function as a species bank, rehabilitating endangered species, and growing resilient species. We are building our marine farm at the Sosua Fishing Village to support shifting the community to a new economic model with greater financial and ecological stability. Reef degradation and fish population decline has made fishing no longer sustainable. By empowering this community, we can improve both local ecology and quality of life together. “