About us
Arrecife Pro Ciudad, Inc.
And the community conservation proposal.
Arrecifes Pro Ciudad was organized in 2009 as a non-profit organization with the purpose of protecting and restoring urban reefs, starting voluntary work in the Isla Verde Reef Marine Reserve.
The reef is located around the Isla Verde key, in the Municipality of Carolina, in front of the Punta del Medio place that divides the two beaches of Isla Verde. Close to shore, very rich in marine life that includes endangered species such as manatees, sea turtles, coral protected by state and federal laws such as Elkhorn, nursery fish, various species of hard and soft corals, anemones , rays, lobsters, crabs, snails, algae and sea grass.
Perhaps this place is the only one in the metropolitan area with these characteristics, with a great diversity of species. Corals, due to their structure, break the wave, serving as a natural barrier that prevents erosion, protects the beach, the residents who live on the coasts, and public and private properties.
The Marine Reserves offer great opportunities for the economic development of the neighboring communities and the concessionaires that offer services in this tourist zone and it is a new opportunity for the businesses of Isla Verde.
Currently several university studies are being carried out on the reef and it is extremely convenient for educational centers to have a protected area in the Metropolitan Zone.
Being so close to the shore, this reef is a nursery for species, and as they grow, they move to the deeper waters with a larger size for the benefit of fishermen.
Arrecifes Pro Ciudad considers that community conservation initiatives are essential and that a cooperative relationship between the Community, the Academy and the Government must be created.
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We portray the species and organize the photos in order to create a graphic inventory.
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We established contacts with other community groups, with scientists and government entities.
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We attended workshops, conferences on coral reefs and learned about the work of other groups that have been working on these tasks for some time.
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We set up a presentation to show what we have in the Isla Verde Reef and it was surprising to see the reaction of disbelief because they did not imagine that there was still something alive that moved in this place.
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In 2009 we formed a Committee of scientific professors, businessmen, neighbors and government employees to achieve the designation of the Marine Reserve. We knew it was complicated and difficult but we had to insist.
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The idea of the Marine Reserve was presented at a meeting we held at the Hotel la Playa for the users and residents of the Isla Verde beaches.
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We began collecting endorsement signatures and participated in different ecological fairs, activities of the Municipality of Carolina and we presented where they gave us the opportunity.
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We established cooperation ties with students and professors from UPR Rio Piedras and UMET to carry out research work.
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We made the first formal presentation to the scientific community at the second conference of the Coastal Zone Management Plan at the DNER and that placed us in the sphere of government and academia.
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We obtained the endorsement of the San Juan Bay Estuary Program, the Interagency Board of Beaches, the DNER and the Tourism Company.
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We understood that to make the community aware of this resource, we had to organize workshops and work on graphic material that would facilitate these workshops. In 2011 we prepared a coloring book, "The Residents of the Isla Verde Reef", with the dual purpose of educating boys and girls about the inhabitants of this Urban Coral Reef and serving as a source of income to help in the work we have to do. We already have the book in Spanish and English versions. In exchange for a donation of $4.00, we gave a coloring book as a thank you. This is how we educate and raise funds.
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In 2012 we achieved the designation of the Marine Reserve with Law 274 of September 26, 2012 and from that moment on the work of the Management Plan began, we signed the Collaboration Agreements and we began the protection of the reef.
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Two graphic manuals have been worked on, one is about sewers and oil recycling "Rain and Sanitary with clean waters" and the second manual begins with an environmental cartoon about "Tina Tinglar and Light Pollution" and that serves as a manual for the management of sea turtles that come to lay their eggs on our beaches.
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In 2014, an Information Kiosk owned by the DNER was built to celebrate educational and scientific activities in the marine reserve.
We continue to work with water quality by establishing a Water Quality Monitoring Program in the Marine Reserve. We are currently working to protect the Isla Verde Reef under a Collaborative Agreement signed in 2016 with a validity of fifteen years.