Tourism Corporation Bonaire Celebrates Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire’s 10th Anniversary with $1,000 Donation

Funds presented to Foundation in support of The Bonaire Bond’s first signatures

On Earth Day, Tourism Corporation Bonaire (TCB) officially launched “The Bonaire Bond”, a destination pledge inviting visitors to sign a commitment to travel responsibly to help sustain Bonaire’s natural appeal for years to come. To kick off this important new initiative, the island pledged in return to adopt coral through the Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire (RRFB), on behalf of all visitors that sign the Bond in its inaugural year.

The Bond was launched in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the island’s first coral nursery which was installed in 2012 by Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire (RRFB). Today RRFB is recognized worldwide for its tangible restoration results, the continued development and up-scaling of its techniques, the wonderful community involvement effort, and the driven determination to make a positive impact on Bonaire’s coral reefs.

To celebrate these two important milestones, TCB presented RRFB with the first donation of $1,000.00 on behalf of the first Bonaire Bond signatures at the organization’s 10th anniversary event on Wednesday, May 11.

Over the past decade, the foundation has continued to grow and evolve, and now works on the renewal of seven corals species using two different techniques to propagate thousands of corals that are strategically out planted to local degraded reefs on Bonaire every year. Today there are 11 coral nurseries in Bonaire, which host more than 15,000 corals of 75 different coral strains. Since 2013 more than 41,000 corals have been out planted back to almost 9,000m2 of coral reef. The success of the RRFB program has been credited to a combination of year-round field work, community involvement, youth education and partnership with research-oriented organizations. RRFB has 9 local dive shops that serve as educational ambassadors for Reef Renewal Bonaire’s restoration program as well as training centers for volunteers.

The new destination pledge will also serve as an educational tool for visitors on how to behave sustainably and treat the fragile reefs with respect. Visitors are encouraged to not only digitally sign the pledge, but also live it, at www.BonaireBond.com.