Colombian Biologist Pioneers Coral IVF to Restore Reefs
Elvira Alvarado, a 70‑year‑old Colombian marine biologist based on San Andrés island, is leading efforts to rescue Caribbean coral reefs by using in‑vitro fertilization (IVF) — a technique that collects coral eggs and sperm, fertilizes them in the lab, and transplants larvae to damaged reefs — as disease, pollution and warming have killed more than half of Caribbean corals since the 1970s. Her team of roughly a dozen divers is applying the method locally to replenish reefs harmed by Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (first reported in 2014), a problem that also threatens U.S. reefs such as those off Florida and carries implications for coastal protection and tourism.
Science
Environment
📌 Key Facts
- Elvira Alvarado, age 70, leads coral‑restoration dives and IVF work from San Andrés, Colombia.
- Technique: coral IVF (collect eggs and sperm, fertilize in lab, transplant larvae) — technique pioneered by scientist Peter Harrison.
- Regional scope and threat: more than half of Caribbean coral has died since the 1970s; Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease first reported in 2014 is a major ongoing driver.