In 2014, Dr. Diego Lirman founded Rescue a Reef, the marine conservation program within UM’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science. After 10 years, Rescue a Reef has outplanted 3,985 corals, removed 353.5 lbs of trash and reached thousands of people. Dr. Lirman created the Rescue a Reef project to combat the depletion of Florida’s coral reef tract, a shallow formation near the coast and the worsening of coral bleaching. 90% of Florida’s corals have been bleached, which means their essential sugars and proteins have been removed. After losing their color, corals become sensitive to disease or starvation, leading to their death. 📝Martina Pantaleon 📸Melissa Borges #ocean #umiami #news #studentnews #tmh #themiamihurricane #oceanlife