The Isla Verde Reef is located in the Cangrejo Arriba neighborhood of the Municipality of Carolina, Puerto Rico and is still a nursery for various species such as corals that create the structure that protects the coast.

 

In the Barrio Cangrejo Arriba de Carolina and in front of Punta de Medio there is an island called Isla Verde since the 18th century. This reef is part of a line of outer reefs that go from Puerta de Tierra, Las Siete Marías to the Boca reefs. of Crabs. This line at some points has reefs that come close to the shore such as Escambrón, Punta las Marías and Isla Verde. Thanks to this line of reefs we have the sandy beaches in Condado, Ocean Park and Isla Verde since these reefs are the first natural defense that the coast has from the waves.

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To protect a natural space we must know its history and that is why we went to the archives in search of documents and photos that could help us understand what this place was like before we arrived. The photos from 1937 show us a more extensive reef and an island almost twice the size of what we currently have out of the water with a path that goes from Punta del Medio to the little island. The history of the Isla Verde Reef can be divided into a before and after the International Airport. The mouth of Boca de Cangrejos is a fundamental element in the development and health of the Isla Verde Reef.

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An urban reef has enormous impacts, eroded, built-up shorelines, disturbed water bodies, dredging, and sanitary water runoff discharging on the beach. This is precisely where the value of this reef lies, impacted corals like few that still survive develop a level of resilience worthy of study and with great possibility of restoration.