KINGSTON, Jamaica — In an effort to prevent further degradation of Jamaica’s coral reefs, the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) launched its inaugural “Coral Reef Awareness Month” in September 2025.

According to NEPA, coral, known as the “rainforest of the sea”, is increasingly vulnerable to ocean warming, pollution and disease. If left unchecked, the situation will result in devastating consequences for Jamaica’s coasts as reefs serve as natural defences against storm surge and erosion.

The campaign aims to increase awareness, build community stewardship and support marine restoration efforts.

It includes a programme of assisted fertilisation or coral spawning to help replenish Jamaica’s reef and to develop a spawning calendar to guide routine, sustained interventions.

This programme, initiated under the CoralCarib Project and spearheaded across several Caribbean islands by the Nature Conservancy (TNC) and locally by the Alligator Head Foundation (AHF), delivered training in coral spawning techniques to conservation practitioners from several local organisations ahead of a coral spawning blitz, coordinated by NEPA, from September 7 to 15.

Some 30 scientists and divers from NEPA and partner entities took to the seas for nightly dives to document coral spawning. Noting the extent of the damage to the country’s corals, Chanel Raynor, coordinator of ecosystems at NEPA, underscored the timeliness of the initiative.

“The pursuit of a collaborative approach through the ongoing CoralCarib Project is a strategic approach for addressing the issues, with the community and interest groups at the very heart of it,” Raynor said. The CoralCarib project spans Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Divers from TNC, Environmental Solutions Limited, Smith Warner International & Lady G, National Fisheries Authority, Jamaica Defence Force and Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory participated in the coral spawning blitz in White River, Oracabessa and East Portland fish sanctuaries.

The nighttime event saw divers entering the water simultaneously to witness and collect gametes (sperm and eggs) from three targeted threatened coral species: Acropora palmata, Orbicella faveolata, and Orbicella annularis.

“Tracking the sexual reproduction of corals is an integral step in trying to restore reefs and continuing to advance the development of coral restoration in Jamaica,” explained White River Fish Sanctuary’s Programme Manager, Johnathan Hernould.

Agreeing, Raynor added, “While there have been coral spawning activities in the past, the CoralCarib Project is the first of its kind to develop a national spawning calendar, positioning Jamaica to accelerate coral reef recovery through assisted fertilisation.”

Marine Conservation Programme Manager at TNC, Anna-Cherice Ebanks-Chin, believes there was an urgent need for the project, particularly against the background of the coral bleaching events of the last two years, a fact, she said, led TNC to “fast-track” its plans under the CoralCarib project.  Similar sentiments were echoed by Inilek Wilmot, whose Oracabessa Fish Sanctuary also participated in the dives.

The blitz was informed by a mapping exercise conducted a year earlier to assess threatened coral species within the marine protected areas.  It provides information on the extent of coral bleaching, the location of survivors and areas of resilience. The data also serves as a guide for restoration planning and coral reef management and will inform future policy.