Belize and CoralCarib Restoration Learning Exchange – Virtual, 2026

In January 2026, nine NGO staff from the CoralCarib Project—spanning the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Jamaica, and Cuba—joined a virtual presentation about the ongoing Super Reefs work in Belize. Super Reefs is a collaborative initiative between The Nature Conservancy, Stanford University, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, to identify, study, and protect heat‑resilient coral reefs that are more likely to survive heat waves and help safeguard reef ecosystems. Courtney Kleypac of Stanford University provided a deeper look into the project’s progress, sharing key lessons learned on climate‑smart restoration and coral thermal testing. 

After the virtual session, the TNC Belize team hosted a one‑day learning exchange for the CoralCarib team at South Water Caye, one of the Super Reefs sites, where they were able to snorkel over a Super Reefs testing site.  Wilbert Castillo of the University of Belize Environmental Research Institute demonstrated the thermal testing setup and described how the data has helped the Super Reefs team identify more resilient reef areas and inform climate‑smart restoration strategies. The learning exchange also provided a valuable opportunity for the TNC Belize team to strengthen relationships with the five participating CoralCarib NGOs.