Our Mission
We aim to conserve and protect Cozumel’s coral reefs from the human damage caused by development projects, cruise ships, and climate change. As coral reefs die off around the world, we’re trying to save Mexico’s most beautiful and important natural treasure.
One Man’s Dream
Started a Movement
Dr. German Mendez, originally a veterinarian, moved from Mexico City to Cozumel in 1982 to learn scuba diving. As he explored Cozumel's underwater world, he fell in love with the reefs and their inhabitants.
In 1994, the Mexican government decided to build a cruise ship dock in the Cozumel Marine Park, a protected area. Despite protests from Dr. Mendez and many other residents, the government proceeded with the construction of the International Terminal. The marine park's boundary was moved south, excluding the Villa Blanca reefs from protection. The cruise ship dock construction killed nearly 97% of the surrounding coral.
In 2013, Carnival cruise lines developed Puerta Maya and added two more piers south of the International Terminal. The International Terminal and Puerta Maya Terminal combined, disembark approximately 4 million people per year.
Determined to save the reef, Dr. Mendez left Cozumel in 1994 to pursue a degree in marine biology at Nova Southeastern University, Florida. In 2012, Dr. Mendez returned to Cozumel. The following year, he started the Cozumel Coral Reef Restoration Program (CCRRP) with a mission to restore the corals lost to the construction. CCRRP officially became a non-profit organization in 2017.
Dr. Mendez tirelessly runs courses to spread awareness and certify divers to become volunteers to help with the restoration efforts, rain or shine. Over the years, many people from Mexico and around the world have been inspired to join the cause in Cozumel.
We hope Dr. German's one-man fight to save the reefs in his backyard can hopefully inspire others to join him or spawn new coral conservation and restoration projects elsewhere.
Our Current Work
The situation surrounding the Caribbean is dire. Cozumel has lost many corals to disease and coral bleaching due to warming oceans. Our initial focus was conserving and restoring the disappearing Elkhorn and Staghorn corals, which are critical reef-building species that provide the scaffolding for other marine life. We have now expanded our efforts to saving other coral species endemic to Cozumel.
Starting with 16 artificial reef platforms in 2017, CCRRP has expanded to 29 platforms today. Due to warming waters and increased water pollution from urban development near the shore, our program has moved our efforts to the deeper waters of the Villa Blanca reefs, where the currents bring cleaner, cooler water, and the corals seem to be responding much better.
We’ve commissioned our first water quality report to confirm the water quality challenges near our Cozumel coral nursery and to advocate for cleaner waters and improve the survivability of the corals in the area. Water pollution knows no boundaries.
Spreading awareness is also important to us. We hope to scale our tours and courses to educate more visitors to Cozumel and certify more volunteers to help with our restoration work. Similarly, we are always seeking to partner with universities and other organizations to expand our coral research knowledge and our collective global coral restoration impact. Every year, we join the collective effort to collect coral gametes to perform assisted coral reproduction to improve the odds of corals successfully settling into mature adults.
Finally, we hope to buy corals more time as humanity tries to solve climate change. The Cozumel Coral Reef Restoration Program are working with coral shades to reduce coral bleaching from warming waters. We also plan to embark on land-based solutions like micro-fragmentation to accelerate the growth of slow-growing corals to help restore biomass and bio-bank some of the few surviving specimens in aquariums.
Volunteers Make It
All Possible
Volunteers are essential to our coral nursery and restoration efforts. They play a vital role in rescuing coral fragments broken off by divers, boats, or storms. These fragments are carefully collected and replanted on our platforms, giving them a safe place to grow into new colonies.
To combat increased algae growth that can smother corals, volunteers periodically remove algae from the structures and monitor coral health. They also track water parameters and remove coral-eating pests.
​
Volunteers also provide crucial support by helping Dr. German assemble new platforms for coral planting and deploying coral shades during the summer months to prevent bleaching.
​
Furthermore, all profits from our volunteers taking courses are reinvested directly into the restoration program, ensuring its continued success. Come join us and make a difference!
Our Hope For The Future Generations
Passing the baton onto marine biologists of the future is also important to us. The CCRRP partners with several Mexican and international universities, conducting research projects that monitor coral growth and methods of conservation.
Studies have included using electrolysis to stimulate more coral growth, coating corals in antibiotics to combat the recent devastating outbreaks of coral diseases, and studying which symbiotic species can help coral resist certain environmental threats.
It is common to find marine biology students in the coral garden, collecting data or tending to the platforms as part of the CCRRP’s volunteer and internship program
