Rebuilding Reefs in Bocas del Toro

Mother of Corals is a Bocas del Toro-based nonprofit that trains local residents and volunteers to build cement artificial reef structures, which are then seeded with coral fragments that grow into functioning reef over time. Its citizen-science Revive program lets divers join active restoration outplanting, while an annual scholarship sends 12 Panamanian students deeper into marine science and reef stewardship. The organization's work helped support Mission Blue's designation of the Bocas del Toro Archipelago as a global Hope Spot, and it publicly tracks restoration sites such as Ataraxia and Coral Nation through its online coral monitor.