A coalition of marine biologists and nonprofit leaders focused on Florida Keys coral restoration are visiting the United Arab Emirates this week to learn more about how they can bolster their own reef efforts.
“They have a very similar reef structure in the Arabian Gulf, as we do here, in the Florida Keys," said local United Way President Tiffani Mensch.
She said the overseas partnership began when the UAE’s government committed $3.5 million for reef restoration. The so-called learning exchange is coordinated in part by United Way of Collier and The Keys.
"They also have the same issues that we do with coral bleaching, the coral dying ... and it's so important to their local ecosystem and their economy to have healthy thriving reefs," Mensch said.
The conservationists will meet with UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and observe coral restoration efforts first-hand on a diving trip.
The initiative is part of a 20-year project called Mission: Iconic Reefs, which aims to restore seven reef tracts within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
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