About Us
Our Mission
The Reef Stewardship Foundation is dedicated to fostering a diverse community that protects coral reefs through collaborative action, research, education, and aquaculture initiatives.
Our Vision
The Ocean and reefs face numerous perils. There is a lack of awareness of the environmental issues endangering them, few effective strategies to address their threats, unsustainable collection practices, and insufficient knowledge of their life histories. The Reef Stewardship Foundation seeks to address these issues through research to fill basic knowledge gaps, providing practical information on captive breeding, encouraging global aquaculture practices, and empowering an environmentally sensitive and engaged citizenry.
Our History
The Reef Stewardship Foundation (RSF) was formed to raise awareness of the need for conservation and preservation of ocean resources, while focusing on coral reef ecosystems. In 2004, the original concept of the RSF was born through discussions among the marine research, education, and hobbyist communities in south central Texas. Then in 2006, Project DIBS (the Desirable Invertebrates Breeding Society) was created to begin assessing the feasibility of forming an association to address the specific concerns of these groups. The RSF was officially founded as a non-profit organization in 2007, which built upon the success of Project DIBS. Since this time, the RSF has grown to over 1000 members strong and continues to expand its reach into the global community.
Our Plan
Coral reef populations have been declining for decades, however few people are aware of the devastation they have incurred, including many members of the recreational diving and marine ornamental communities. Without a worldwide awareness, it is difficult to garner public support for stopping and reversing their demise.
Because it will take many years to slow this progression, it is essential to identify species which can be bred in captivity. Numerous marine invertebrate populations have been decimated and the first step to their recovery is understanding their basic reproductive biology. Although little is known about the life histories of many corals, by working together as a community, we can begin to understand their reproductive biology and protect these vital marine habitats.
The decline of our oceans’ fragile ecosystems has led to an educational movement to help people worldwide understand their impact on the marine environment. The campaign to include ocean literacy in US public schools began to build momentum in early 2000. In June 2006, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation held the Conference on Ocean Literacy in Washington, D.C., which focused on the importance and challenges of implementing marine environmental education in classrooms across the country. Together with our research and aquaculture programs, these literacy initiatives are the foundation of our curricula, so that students around the world can understand their role in saving our reefs.
RSF Quick Facts |
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Reef Stewardship Foundation Founded: Business Structure: Non-Profit Status: |