Global Coral Reef Alliance
The Global Coral Reef Alliance is a small, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to scientific research and sustainable management of the most valuable and threatened of all ecosystems—coral reefs.
GCRA is a worldwide coalition of volunteer scientists, divers, environmentalists and other individuals and organizations, committed to coral reef preservation. We primarily focus on coral reef restoration, and cutting-edge research on impacts of coral bleaching, global warming, marine diseases, global sea level rise, and pollution on corals.
GCRA scientists work with community groups, environmental organizations, foundations, governments or private firms to build, restore and maintain coral reefs, nurseries and marine sanctuaries.
GCRA Projects include restoration of coral reefs and marine habitats for mariculture, tourism and shore protection.
GCRA invented and developed Mineral Accretion Technology™ and the Biorock™ method of electrical coral reef and marine ecosystem restoration, the HotSpot™ method to correctly predict coral bleaching from satellite sea surface temperatures, and integrated whole-watershed and coastal zone nutrient management (now commonly referred to as Ridge to Reef, or Hilltop to Ocean).
Founded in 1990, GCRA is the direct heir to a pioneering coral reef research tradition stretching back to the 1920s, and has the world’s largest collection of coral reef photographs from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.

Restoring
Coral reefs and marine habitats all around the world

Protecting
Coastal shorelines from erosion and the effects of climate change.

Helping
Local communities develop sustainable maricuture practices.
RECENT UPDATES
In Memoriam – Dr. Norman Myers
Dr. Tom Goreau, President of GCRA is sad to note the death of a greatly valued colleague and environmental hero, Dr. Norman Myers, of Oxford University, one of the world’s pioneering experts on species extinction, conservation, deforestation, and impacts of climate...
read moreCorals reefs will be executed by US government policies
Thomas J. F. Goreau, PhD President, Global Coral Reef Alliance Corals reefs worldwide will be deliberately murdered by today’s announcement of the US government’s withdrawal from international agreements to limit climate change. This comes 30 years after it was shown...
read moreGCRA signs collaboration agreement with Small Island Developing States at the UN
Thomas J. F. Goreau, PhD President, Global Coral Reef Alliance The Global Coral Reef Alliance (GCRA) and SIDS DOCK, the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Sustainable Energy and Climate Resilience Organization, signed an agreement to collaborate on the SIDS...
read moreLATEST PAPERS
LATEST VIDEOS
Close range underwater photogrammetry for high- resolution survey of a coral reef: A comparison between reconstructed 3-D point cloud models from still image and video data
A paper by Verena Vogler, original link here. Abstract Coral threat levels from climate change have increased around the globe. Coral reefs are nature’s best coastal protection device [MS48]. They dissipate portions of the wave energy through a system of...
read moreHigh-Resolution Underwater 3-D Monitoring Methods to Reconstruct Artificial Coral Reefs in the Bali Sea: A Case Study of an Artificial Reef Prototype in Gili Trawangan
A paper by Verena Vogler, original link here. Intro This paper introduces new methods and techniques for artificial coral reef design and fabrication based on the Biorock(c) Technology to enable regrowth of damaged coral reefs and discusses state-...
read moreBiorock Corals grow faster, longer and wider, depending on species and depth
A recent paper from Banda Aceh, Indonesia confirms yet again that Biorock accelerates the growth of corals around 4 times faster than controls: The escalation of coral growth by biorock technology applied in Sabang marine ecotourism AACL Bioflux, 2018,...
read moreMarine Habitat Regeneration
by Tom Goreau, co-Inventor of Biorock & President of Global Coral Reef Alliance A contribution to: THE FIRST UNITED NATIONS HIGH-LEVEL ROUNDTABLE ON SUSTAINABLE FLOATING CITIES: Exploring The Next Frontier For Human Settlements Wednesday, 3 April 2019 UN...
read moreBiorock Oyster, Salt Marsh, and Sea Grass Restoration for Coastal Protection, Fisheries Habitat Regeneration, Submerged Breakwaters, and Artificial Islands
Thomas J. F. Goreau, PhD President, Global Coral Reef Alliance INTRODUCTION Biorock technology, first invented in 1976 in Grand Isle, Louisiana by the late Wolf Hilbertz, architecture professor at the University of Texas at Austin (Hilbertz, 1979; Goreau &...
read moreTwo Innovative Materials for Floating Islands
A recent meeting at the United Nations showed that floating cities and islands will be increasingly needed when sea level rise accelerates: OCEANIX Website Marine Habitat Regeneration Waterworld? Floating Cities Turn Hollywood Sci-fi Into Reality As Sea Levels Rise...
Bahamas hurricane destruction
Abaco and Grand Bahama have just been devastated by the Atlantic hurricane with the strongest winds recorded at landfall. The local fishermen have lived there since the 1700s and are used to surviving hurricanes every year, but they have never seen damage from wave...
HELP US SAVE CORALS
GCRA, is accepting donations to help fund our programs in 2019, training local communities in developing countries to use Biorock methods for large-scale marine ecosystem restoration and sustainable mariculture for the following projects:
Panama
Jamaica
Vanuatu
Grenada
Bahamas
Philippines
Palau
