This page shares our vision, progress, and how you can be part of protecting coral reefs for generations.

Why Lighthouse Reef Atoll?

Lighthouse Reef Atoll is one of the most remote and biologically diverse reef systems in the Caribbean. Its relative isolation has helped preserve coral cover and biodiversity — but it is not immune to warming waters, coral disease, and human impacts.

Protecting and restoring reefs like Lighthouse Reef is critical because:

  • They serve as climate refuges for coral species
  • They support fisheries, biodiversity, and coastal protection
  • Healthy reefs strengthen resilience across the entire Mesoamerican Reef system

Restoration at Lighthouse Reef is not about repairing what’s already lost — it’s about protecting what still thrives.

Research, Baseline Data, and Management Planning

Reef Healers and our partners at Lighthouse Reef Research Repository (Lr³) are focused on building critical scientific knowledge about this ecosystem as a first step toward future management and, ultimately, restoration.

Our current work includes:

  • collecting baseline data on coral coverage, species richness and diversity, and water quality parameters — information that has not yet been fully established for this area and is needed to inform future decisions;
  • identifying areas of ecological decline and resilience;
  • designing monitoring frameworks that allow local partners and policymakers to evaluate how the reef is changing over time;
  • and collaborating with local scientists and community stakeholders to ensure research reflects Belizean priorities.

This research will inform future reef management strategies and help guide restoration decisions once all necessary agreements and permits are in place. It’s the foundation upon which responsible action can be built.

What Baseline Data Tells Us

Baseline ecological measures — such as coral cover, species diversity, and water quality — are essential for understanding reef health, tracking change over time, and evaluating the effectiveness of marine protection measures. Such baselines have not yet been fully established for Lighthouse Reef Atoll, leaving a critical gap in scientific understanding that this initiative seeks to fill.

Collaboration with Local Scientists and Communities

This work is rooted in collaboration. Reef Healers is partnering with Lighthouse Reef Research Repository (Lr³) and engaging local scientists, community leaders, and conservation stakeholders to ensure that research plans are respectful, inclusive, and locally supported. Working together ensures that outcomes are scientifically credible, culturally grounded, and aligned with Belize’s own management and conservation goals.

How This Work Is Funded

Foundational research and science take time, expertise, and resources. This initiative is supported by:

  • tax-deductible contributions to Lr³, which fund ecological research and monitoring planning on Lighthouse Reef;
  • donations from Reef Healers’ community and partners;
  • collaborative support from organizations focused on long-term reef understanding and management.

Your support empowers local science and helps ensure this ecosystem’s resilience in a changing ocean.

Support the Project

Support Reef Science & Future Reef Management

Your donation helps gather critical baseline data and build the scientific foundation for future reef protection and restoration strategies at Lighthouse Reef.

Be the Change